Shadows of Hatred (to be deleted soon)
by strawberrymagic01
Summary: Adela Merryweather is sent to live in Moonacre Valley with her uncle. Soon she finds that the curse is not the only thing haunting this magical valley... R&R please
1. Prolouge

~ Prologue ~

(Robin's P.O.V)

"Father! I have bad news!" A 16 year old boy stumbled into the large dining hall, his face flushed from running. He made his way over to the huge man who sat at the head of the table, a goblet of red wine in his chubby hands.

"And what might that be, my dear son?" He jeered; taking a sip (well it was more like a gulp) from the glass. The boy leant away, wrinkling his nose. His father was drunk, and smelt heavily of wine. It made him sick. Taking a deep breath, he told his father the news that he knew he would not like.

"We," He gestured to the three boys behind him, "Were over by the Merryweather Manor. We had heard of a commotion going on over there and decided to check it out." He shuffled his feet nervously, and fiddled with the feathers that hung from around his neck. "We overheard a conversation. Between Sir Benjamin and a man I believe to be called Digweed. They were talking about Sir Benjamin's brother." The boy looked at his father for a signal to carry on. But the large man had stopped drinking, and was staring at his son with stony eyes.

"Carry on Robin," He ordered, his hand clenched so tightly round the goblet that the delicate glass shattered, spilling wine all over his arm. He didn't seem to notice. A young servant scurried over, biting her lip with fear. She quickly cleared up the glass and dabbed gently at the wine with a cloth. The older man had clearly lost all sense of fun and humour.

Robin hesitated before continuing. "He is dead. And he has left behind a daughter; she is to come to the Merryweather manor to live." The hall which was once full of lively chatter and the clunks of cutlery hitting a plate, suddenly went silent. "She shall arrive in two days." He finished, and took a step back, realising that his father was not happy. His face had reddened and screwed up in anger, and he slammed his fist down onto the table.

"What?" He boomed, standing up so forcefully that his chair rocked and then fell to the ground with a crash. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He grabbed Robin by the collar and glared down at him. "Why?" He spat.

"F-father we only just got back- and that… that demon dog chased us away before we could hear anything else." Robin stammered, struggling against his father's tight grip. He knew what was coming next. A pretty blonde woman in a gorgeous grey dress stepped towards the man, and placed a smooth hand on his shoulder.

"Do calm down, Coeur, you're boy was right to come tell you!" She purred, but a terrified look was plastered across her face. Instead of relaxing, Coeur De Noir let go of Robin to slap her hand away. She looked hurt for a moment, but then sighed and left the room. _Fathers got a new woman. _Robin thought, watching her leave. It was unusual for one of his 'friends' to not be able to calm him down. He knew he was in for it now.

Closing his eyes, Robin braced himself for a beating. He knew exactly what would happen. He would be hurt, sometimes he was knocked unconscious. But he would always wake up in his bedroom, bandaged up with his favourite foods on his bedside table. Then his father would act like they were best of friends. Oh how he hated Coeur. But he still would do anything to earn his father's respect. One day he would impress him. One day his father would come to him for advice, or ask him to do a special job. But for now he was the poor little son of Sir Coeur De Noir, the failure to the clan. Oh well. He was used to it.

A/N: Hi! I hope you like the start of my story! Please review with how I can improve, and things I did well, please! Oh and I am new to this website… so what is beta reader? Thank you! :D


	2. Moving to Moonacre

**~Chapter 2 – Moving to Moonacre~**

With her chocolate brown hair and green eyes with grey flecks, you would think Adela to be the sort of girl who sits up straight at home all day with her dress perfect and unstained. Well, boy you would be wrong.

Adela charged down the street, swerving in and out of the disgruntled passersby and apologising over her shoulder. She skidded to a halt at the end of the road, gasping for breath. "Shoot, I'm late!" She panted, and raked her side fringe behind her ear with her fingers. Then she sped off again, holding her dress a little above her ankles so she wouldn't trip. _Miss Heliotrope said she would meet me by the bakers. Now, where is she?_ Adela thought, and then groaned when she noticed the cobble stone road was full of carriages, any one of them could be the one Miss Heliotrope was in. Quietly grumbling to herself, Adela walked through the jam of carriages, peeking into windows. "Excuse me, sorry, Miss Heliotrope? Oh sorry ma'am," She mumbled as she searched for her governor. Where was she?

"Adela! Adela dear, I'm over here." Adela shot round at the sound of Miss Heliotropes voice, and saw the middle aged lady stumbling out of the bakers. "Sorry dear, I just wanted to say a quick farewell to the baker, because well, it has been years we have known him," She rambled on, ushering Adela over to a black carriage with a beautiful white horse at the front. A slightly plump man, whose hairline had disappeared far over his head, stepped out of the carriage and took Adela's hand to kiss.

"I am Digweed, Madam. You must be Adela Merryweather, niece of Benjamin." He greeted, and helped her into the carriage. Adela sighed, and slouched back on her seat. She knew the journey to her Uncles house would be long and tiring. She didn't even want to go there in the first place, and she wouldn't have to, but her father's gambling problems had got in the way once again. Adela fought back tears furiously as she thought of him. The man who had gambled away everything and then died. And left her with nothing except a book. A stupid book. Although, Adela did like reading. She would sit for hours by her window, pouring over pages of stories. She liked the idea of adventure, suspense and action. Her father used to read to her every night as a child. But he was gone now, nothing to do about that.

Adela thought back to the funeral, the day before. It had been a grey day, the sun was hidden behind blackened clouds and the trees cast spooky shadows across the graveyard. Adela had worn a completely black dress, decorated with lace on the front of the skirts. She stood at her father's coffin, tying her hair into a fish tail plait. The funeral was coming to a close and she had just placed a single red rose on the coffin, and then one on her mother's grave. To be honest, she hadn't been particularly sad, she was never that close to her father and he was always away. It was quite a pretty graveyard, with little flowers dotting the grass and a white gazebo not too far from where she was. Adela felt like she was being watched. Her eyes shifted to the lovely gazebo and she almost jumped in surprise. There was a boy, not more than 16, with a mass of curly brown hair and a bowler hat on top of his head. He wore a strip of black fabric across his nose and his clothes were also all black, the only colour was a red scarf tied around his neck. He stood there, casually leaning against a column, staring. She felt a shiver along her spine and looked away. But when she glanced back he was gone.

"Adela! What on earth have you done to your dress?" Miss Heliotrope gasped in horror, picking at leaves and mud that were plastered to her purple dress. She cringed, remembering her visit to the park. Adela had been heartbroken to have to leave behind her best friend, Madeline. They had cried together- and Adela had agreed to meet her at the park one last time before she left for Moonacre. But of course, disaster struck. Madeline had brought a long her little brown poodle, who was known for his extreme mischievousness! The dog and his owner were the perfect match. Benny the poodle was small with white curly hair and a cute face with big eyes, and Madeline was a short girl with blonde curly hair and large brown eyes.

_~flashback~_

The two girls had sat on the bench under a willow tree, admiring the fish in the glimmering pond. They were in the park near Adela's old house. It was large with lush green grass and a pretty pond, and there were always people there enjoying the summer sun while it lasted.

"Moonacre will be terrible without you." Adela sighed, slumping over and resting her head in her palms.  
>"Adela! That's incredibly un-lady like!" Madeline giggled, her eyes darting to the group of young men who stood nearby, talking. Adela rolled her eyes. Madeline had always been interested in boys, even though Adela thought it not right to court at only 14. She sat up right and left the bench, to walk back down the pathway. "Adela come back, I'm sorry, I get distracted sometimes!" Madeline called, scurrying after her. "I'll miss you so,"<p>

Adela stopped, quickly wiping tears away from her green eyes. "I'm sorry too, I just really don't want to leave London! I'm going to the country side, can you believe that?" She sobbed, and Madeline held out her arms for a hug.

"I'm sure it will all be ok," She said comfortingly, softly patting Adela on the back. Then she pulled away from her, her brown eyes wide with horror. "Benny!" She yelled angrily, and tore off after the small poodle, which was bounding away in delight. Adela giggled and also gave chase, following her annoyed best friend. They had run after Benny through the whole park. It was Adela who caught Benny first- well nearly. The little dog just leapt out of reach as Adela dived for him, and she ended up landing flat on her face, her dress ruffled, dirty and ripped. Benny skidded to a halt, realising fun and games were over. "Oh Adela, look at your dress!" Madeline gasped, helping her friend up. Adela laughed cheerfully.

"Oh never mind my dress, that was so much fun!" She squealed, ruffling the dog between his ears. The men who were once glancing over at the girls before now looked disgusted at their un-lady like behaviour and were stalking away, shaking their heads disapprovingly. Madeline sighed, watching them leave with a saddened face. "Madeline it does not matter what they think." Adela scolded, but her eyes were sparkling and there was a rosy glow to her cheeks. But then her face fell when she noticed the time on the clock tower. "Oh Gosh I have to go, I have to meet Miss Heliotrope in 5 minutes!" She gasped. Madeline looked crest fallen and gave her best friend one last goodbye hug. She watched her go and called out good luck.

_~end flashback~_

Miss Heliotrope carried on tutting and brushing at her skirts as Adela sat there, trying not to think about all the people she would leave behind. As London slowly disappeared behind the carriage, Adela gazed out of the window, wondering what to expect. Even though she had never been to the countryside, Adela despised it. And she would tell that to anyone who asked her. Miss Heliotrope gave her a sad glance, her eyes dull behind her spectacles. Well at least she had Miss Heliotrope. She had been there since Adela had been born and had looked after her for her whole life.

"Miss Heliotrope why did you come with me? I know you would have much preferred staying in London." Adela asked, braiding her long wavy hair in a fishtail plait and tying it with a red ribbon. Miss Heliotrope looked shocked for a moment before replying.  
>"Adela I made a promise to your mother before she died that I would look after you. I am not going to leave you!" She said firmly and squeezed her hand. Adela gave a small smile, reassured. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad with her scatty but lovely governess.<p>

**A/N: sorry if this chapter is a bit boring! Thank you for the kind comment I did my best to make this more descriptive and I meant for the chapters to be longer than the prologue but thanks for the help! ****J**** I need some tips on how to describe a dress…any tips appreciated! :D**


	3. The Countryside

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews I will get round to editing chapter 2 when I have time! I really appreciate all your tips and encouragement as I do like writing and I want to improve. I'm planning to make robin manlier now though, haha! :D**

**-Just edited Robins part - he was OOC. Probably because im not used to writing with other peoples characters haha :3-**

**~Chapter 3 – The countryside~**

**(Robin's POV)**

_Knock knock._

Robin jumped, woken from his daydream, and then immediately relaxed. He looked up to the door and smiled when the servant girl entered with a glass of water on a tray. "Your drink, Sir Robin." She said quietly, resting the tray on the table. "I do hope you're feeling better, sir." She then began to leave the room, but turned and stood at the door.

"Im fine." He snapped, annoyed how the girl seemed to act like he was a wimp. Robin sat up properly and sipped the water. It was two days ago that his father had hit him and he was completely fine, but the servant had a tendency to worry too much. She was now standing by the door, staring at him with squinty green eyes. A lot of the girls around ended up falling for Robin, with his good looks. Mary was pretty, he had to admit. But he felt no attraction to any of the girls in the De Noir castle, and the village girls were nothing that special either to be honest. He was nothing like his friend Joseph, who happened to be the flirtiest person Robin had ever met. He would whistle at every girl who walked past- servant or not. Noticing that Mary was still there, Robin waved a hand to dismiss her impatiently. She nodded and scurried out, closing the door behind her.

Before she had come in, Robin had been thinking. He was desperate to impress his father, as he had been seen as a failure for his whole life. It wasn't that he actually failed at everything he did; it was just that his father had hardly any love for him. Sighing, he thought of his mother. He had never met her. She died giving birth to him, and that was his theory for why his father hated him so much. It wasn't his fault though, was it? He knew his father blamed him. It was quite obvious by the way he was treated by the cruel but powerful man. He went back to leaning his back and head against the wooden headboard of his bed and closed his eyes, laying a hand over the bruise on his stomach. Robin often fought back if his father hit him, but he was at a disadvantage that night from being tired after being chased by that stupid demon dog! Coeur De Noir probably gave up after a minute because he knew he would need his son.

Moon Princesses were always difficult, and Coeur would need all the help he could get if he was to capture her. The moon princess would be arriving today, probably in a posh carriage. He wondered what she would be like. Probably a posh knob, who hated the forest and would request to be carried instead of walk on the ground. She would probably be weak as well. A Merryweather. Ugh. Robin hated to even be near the manor, let alone have to deal with the stupid Moon Princess.

"That's it!" Robin suddenly yelled. He knew what to do. He would take his men down to the gate of Moonacre, and they would await the carriage that carried the Merryweather girl. He knew that Digweed would have to stop to open the gate, and that was his chance to jump up onto the carriage and try to pull the girl out. It would be terribly risky, but he had to try. He smiled to himself, pleased. He looked up at the coat of arms on the wall opposite his bed. It was dark and sinister, with a black lion. He was proud to be a cunning De Noir. Just at that moment, a tall boy burst into the room. His long blonde hair was sticking up all over the place and his sharp but attractive face was red from running.

"Robin, Digweed left for London four hours ago! They shall be here soon!" He panted, leaning against the door in exhaustion. Robin jumped to his feet, and ushered the boy out of his dark room.

"Joseph. Go and get Isaac and Paul, I have a plan to get the princess." Robin smiled, a sly glint in his chestnut brown eyes.

**(Adela's POV)**

The journey dragged on, and the gentle bumpiness of the road slowly rocked Adela to sleep, but she kept waking up with a start. She kept expecting to be cuddled up in her four poster bed with white soft duvets and many pillows. But she wasn't. She was sitting awkwardly in the back of a carriage, her head resting on Miss Heliotrope's shoulder. "This is officially the longest journey I have ever been on!" She sighed, rubbing her eyes hard and sitting up straight. Miss Heliotrope nodded in agreement, as she peered through her spectacles at the yellowing pages of a large book. How she could read on such a bumpy journey, Adela didn't know. The countryside was slowly folding out in front of her eyes, the round hills with tall grass swaying softly in the wind. There were a few trees dotted here and there, and Adela gasped in surprise when she saw a large, four legged creature with white skin with black splodges. It was a cow- living in London all her life meant she never saw one in real life. "Miss Heliotrope, look, look! It's a cow! Oh not just a cow, many cows!" She gasped, pulling Miss Heliotropes sleeve so she had to look up and see.

"Ah yes, cows, how… dirty." She stuttered, gazing at them in disgust. One was particularly close to the dusty road, standing by the wooden gate. It looked up and mooed lazily at them as they past, and Miss Heliotrope jumped back in her seat in shock. Adela giggled at her governess; Miss Heliotrope absolutely hated anything apart from humans that moved. This meant no pets for Adela. She didn't really mind to be honest; she could have gone to Madeline's house to see Benny. She knew that the countryside would be full of animals, oh how amused she would be at Miss Heliotropes reaction to all of them!

Would her Uncle Benjamin have any pets? She hoped so. She had never met him. She didn't even know he existed until recently, her father had never even mentioned him in the whole 14 years of her life. Well, he might have before she could listen and understand. But the question that was nagging her was what would he look and be like? Would he be like her father, tall but slightly large, with a stern face? He could be the complete opposite. She knew he must be kind. He had taken her in, so of course he was nice. Or had he just done it to look good? Perhaps he was strict. Adela didn't really like to follow rules. "Ugh!" Adela groaned, her head hurting from all the worrying.

Henry had always called Adela a worry pot, and always told her to relax. He was the older brother of Madeline, and Adela despised him. It wasn't that he had ever done anything to make her hate him, he was just particularly unpleasant. Henry Ashmore. He was a tall, good looking boy with black hair that framed his face perfectly, and made his ocean blue eyes stand out even more. He was a selfish boy who thought he was better than everybody else, but Adela's father liked Henry a lot. He would invite him to dinners and parties, and always make sure Adela sat next to him or danced with him. She knew Henry liked her, much more than a friend. He was the sort to make no secret of it. Being the tricky girl she was, Adela would find some way to annoy him, whether it be spilling her drink on his newly bought white button up shirt or 'accidently' stepping on his toes. She would never consider being with him, ever. Perhaps that was one good thing about leaving London, she wouldn't see that snobby boy again. "Miss Heliotrope, I need to get my mind off of everything." Adela sighed, adjusting her skirts.

Miss Heliotrope searched about in her big bag for a moment, before pulling out some needles. "There is only one thing left to do on a journey like this." She sighed, handing a pair to Adela.

"Classic French Needle Point." They said simultaneously, and began knitting.


	4. Surprises

**Hope this chapter is ok, and i will get round to a little more action soon! :')**

* * *

><p><strong>~Chapter 4 - Surprises~<strong>

"Almost there," Digweed called out from the front of the carriage, and Adela sighed with relief. She could see that they were heading towards large iron gates. She watched as Digweed stopped the carriage and walked over to the gates to unlock them. They were on a cobble stone path now, and Adela felt much more stable than when they had been travelling on the muddy roads of the countryside.

"Miss Heliotrope, what do you think the house is-" Adela was rudely cut off by a loud thump on the top of the carriage. "What was that?" She gasped, grabbing hold of Miss Heliotrope's hand. The nervous lady stuttered a bit before answering.

"Oh… probably j...Just the...the…the trees." Miss Heliotrope gulped. Adela relaxed a little; of course it would probably be the trees. The area they were in had many trees. She let go of her governess' hand had leaned out of the window to check if a branch had fallen.

"Agh!" She yelped as someone roughly grabbed her wrist with one hand, and her neck with the other. Their grip was tight and she writhed about, determined to be set free. "Let me go!" She screeched, twisting and turning to try and loosen the grip of the young boy who had gotten hold of her. Next to her she could hear yells as somebody fought with Miss Heliotrope. She grabbed the boys hand and tried her best to scratch it with her nails as they were fairly long, but to no avail. Then she realised in the other hand she was still holding her needle. "Get off!" She yelled, scraping the needle down the hand. The boy cried out and immediately let go of her, and as the carriage began to move again the two boys fell off the back, shouting out in anger. Adela let out a sigh of relief and she fell back onto her seat. Miss Heliotrope flopped down next to her, her face red and her hat out of place. "Oh Miss Heliotrope, what was that all about?" She gasped, smoothing her dark curly hair. "And why did Digweed not notice?" The man servant seemed to not have even heard the commotion that had been happening whilst he opened the gate.  
>"He must be a half-wit," Miss Heliotrope said quietly, putting her hat back in place. Adela stifled a giggle by covering her mouth, just in case he heard. They were getting closer to the Manor now, and Adela risked looking out the window again, even though Miss Heliotrope warned her many times that the boys might come back. She giggled, amused at the angry shout she heard behind her as the gates closed on the boys. Then she smiled in delight when she saw the old manor. <em>Wow. My new home.<em> She thought, her eyes focused on the large majestic house.

* * *

><p>(Robin's POV)<p>

"Damn it!" Robin yelled, picking himself up from the dusty road. He kicked at a stone in frustration, sending it flying into the grass. Next to him, Joseph slumped his shoulders in defeat. The two in the carriage had put up a struggle. The Moon Princess was tougher than he had thought; in fact she was completely different to what he had expected. He stumbled over to the gates which were now closed, and gripped the iron bars in anger. He couldn't help but let out an angry cry, as he watched the girl once again lean out of the window, her dark curls moving with the breeze. "Stupid witch." He growled, taking off the bowler hat that was placed on his head. Then he remembered the cut he now had on his hand and cursed again. It stung badly, and he clutched his hand, trying to make the pain go away. The jagged red scar would be a permanent reminder of how the girl had beaten him.

"Robin, what shall we tell your father?" Joseph asked, rubbing at his leg where he had fallen from the carriage awkwardly. Robin stalked over and yanked the boy up by his collar. Failing to capture the girl had put him in a really bad mood.

"We will not mention this to my father, I didn't tell him we were going to try and get her. Nobody says anything about this, ok?" Robin snapped, glaring at the two other boys who were hiding in the bushes ready to help Robin if he got her out of the carriage.

""Why, Robin? Scared of your old man?" One teased, but the boy next to him whacked him over the head. Robin just glared; He was in no mood to join in on the jokes and pretend to be insulted. Isaac was one of his closest friends, but he really didn't know when to close his mouth to avoid making things worse- and that annoyed Robin.

"Don't make Robin mad, he's got a lot on his mind!" The boy hissed. Isaac stared at his friend for a moment, wondering whether to shut up or continue taunting his childhood friend.

"Oh come on, Robin's a man enough to take a couple of jokes!" He laughed. But with a second glare from Robin, he rolled his eyes and grumpily left the cover of the bushes to head back to the De Noir Castle.

* * *

><p>(Adela's POV)<p>

There it was. Merryweather Manor. To be honest, it wasn't as spectacular as Adela had expected, but she was known for her huge imagination and she had thought up an amazing castle. Though with its arched window and turret Adela thought it looked rather as if it was from a fairytale, but had a sense of loneliness. There was ivy crawling up the cream coloured stones of the building and the manor was surrounded by forest. It was quite picturesque though, like a painting with the gorgeous crimson sky in the background. At the entrance Adela could see a tall man with dark hair standing there, no expression at all on his face. _Must be Uncle Benjamin… _She thought. He looked quite gloomy, as if all happiness and love was just sucked from his soul. She shuddered. Perhaps it was just a mask though, and he was just trying to show that he was the boss and that Adela was to do what he said. But if he was anything like her father he would be cold and dull. She thanked Digweed politely as he helped her and Miss Heliotrope out of the carriage, and then nervously approached the man that had taken her in. He still stood by the door, but he moved aside to let her in. "Nice to meet you, Uncle Benjamin," She said shyly.

"Adela," He acknowledged her at least, she thought. She took hold of her Governesses hand and they followed Sir Benjamin inside the manor.  
>"Oh!" Adela jumped backwards, and Miss Heliotrope let out a squeak of fear. For there in front of them, sitting by an armchair and fireplace was a dog. A large Labrador with messy black fur and blood red eyes. Glancing at Miss Heliotrope, Adela could see her tutor was terrified. Her skin had gone a deathly shade of white and she stood next to Adela clenching her hand. Who on earth would keep such a scary pet? It looked vicious, and the devils eyes didn't really help calm Adela's nerves.<p>

"This is Wrolf. He very probably won't hurt you, as you're a Merryweather." Benjamin told them, smirking slightly at their horrified faces. Then he moved quickly on, leading them up a wide stone staircase. It was quite grand, but a little spooky, Adela thought. The corridors were dimly lit and the sun had almost set, soon the valley would be in darkness, with only the glow of the moon for light. "Your room is down there to the left, Miss Heliotrope." Benjamin gestured down the corridor. Miss Heliotrope nodded briskly and held out her hand for Adela to take.

"Come along Adela; let's not bother Sir Benjamin anymore. I'm sure your room shall be along here too." She began to walk down the corridor, but Benjamin interrupted her.

"Adela's room is up in the tower, Miss Heliotrope." He informed them. He opened a creaky door that lead to some stairs into the tower. Adela gasped. She had not ever slept that far from Miss Heliotrope. Having the governess in a room nearby comforted her- London was not the safest of places. It was also rather high, Adela was not so sure about being up there. What if she was to go onto the balcony and fall?

"Uncle Benjamin, if you don't mind I'd much rather-" She began, but Benjamin cut her off and ushered her up the stairs.

"I think you'd better see the room before you make any decisions." He told her. They climbed the stairs and Benjamin led her through another door, into a small room with a beautiful painting on the wall opposite a set of 3 steps and a small door. The painting was of a woman, with a golden frame that sparkled in the dim light. The woman was very pretty, though she looked sad and disappointed.

"Who is that, Uncle Benjamin?" She asked, breath taken by the wonderful painting. Benjamin seemed to curse under his breath, and didn't answer her question.

"I'll leave you to see your room." He told her, and turned on his heel and left. Bewildered by his sudden departure, Adela raised her eyebrows and entered the small door. She had to duck a little, but she managed to fit through perfectly.

_Wow._

She had never expected anything like this. The ceiling was cone shaped- she was in a tower after all. But it was the design of the night sky, and the way that each star seemed to sparkle that amazed her. The wall had a mural of a forest; how someone could paint such a detailed picture she didn't know. There was a bed with baby blue sheets, a small chair and a dressing table. The fire glimmered magically in the fire place opposite the bed, the design of the fireplace looked like a wave, with a head of a horse on the end. The windows were arched and the view from the room was gorgeous, Adela couldn't wait to go onto the balcony the next morning with her tutor and admire the view. And as she placed her case on the loveseat at the end of her bed and lay down under the covers, she couldn't help but smile.


	5. A Kidnapping

**~Chapter 5 – A Kidnapping~**

_Darkness, echoing silence, no end, but also no beginning...eternal hatred and hearts that have never felt love. Those words were running through Adela's head. It was pitch black. She felt around, trying to find something to help her know where she was. Nothing. Suddenly she could see. Adela was in the forest. How did she end up here? Perhaps she had been sleep walking. How strange, Adela had never done that before. She had better get back. It was dark; she couldn't even see the stars or even the moon! Now, what way was it to the manor? Damn, Adela hadn't been in the forest before, and she didn't like it. The eerie sound of trees rustling put her on edge._

_Maybe it would be easier to just stay where she was until morning? Surely someone would find her. Or at least it would be light enough for her to find her way. At the moment she could only just make out the scenery around her. "oh!" She gasped. There was someone there! Perhaps he could help her. He was facing with his back to her, a couple of meters away. "Hello?" She called. No answer. Maybe he couldn't hear her. Who was he? She was sure she recognised the leather jacket with the many buckles. Adela stood up and began to stumble towards him, but stopped at the spine chilling sound of whispering. It was coming from all around her, from behind every tree, plant, even every blade of grass. She couldn't make out what the whispers said. Something about darkness, and silence… and no love. Adela shivered, it was certainly creepy here. But she wasn't one to be scared easily, so she held her head high and forced herself not to be made nervous by the sounds. _

_"Hello?" She called again. But instead of ignoring her, the boy whipped around. Adela could think of many words to describe the look on his face. Though there was only one word that described it the best. Horror. He stood there, as if rooted to the spot, his eyes wide as he stared at her. "Who…who are you?" Adela asked, not expecting a reply. He just stayed there with that same horrified expression, but now his brown eyes were darting about the place. Had she seen him before? Adela didn't think so. She didn't recognise the boy with his messy, curly brown hair and bowler hat. But she had seen that jacket- and that hand with the jagged scar. He looked rather ghost like. Suddenly, he ran._

_He sped towards her, grabbing her wrist, and pulling her along with him. Adela screamed out, taken by surprise. They rushed through the forest, the trees just blurs. What were they running from? She could hardly keep up, and kept tripping over tree roots and other debris. "ouch!" She cried, as he released his grip on her arm and she toppled over. Groaning, she sat up and rubbed her back. Her dress was ripped and dirty, Miss Heliotrope would not be pleased! _

_ "Hissss…" Adela's heart skipped a beat._

_What was that hissing noise? It came from all around her, like the whispers. But this time it was scarier. She looked up, her eyes searching for the boy. He stood not far away, facing her. He didn't look…real. God she was scared. It was hazy. Wisps of dark stuff floated around. Suddenly without warning, a dark shadow like thing engulfed him. He stepped forward, reaching out a hand, as if wanting her to pull him away. But she sat frozen with fear, her eyes glued to the boy who was slowly disappearing. Then sense hit her, and she scrambled to her feet and backed away. _

_It was coming. The shadows. They swirled as they traveled through the air, straight towards her. There were eyes- red eyes. They stared into her soul as she tried to run. Hissssss… But where could she go? She didn't know the forest._

* * *

><p>"Oh my god," Adela sat up, her heart racing. It was late morning, she could tell. Why had no one woken her up? At least the dream was over though. Shivvering slightly from the memory, she sat up. The room looked magical in the morning light as well, almost as if it was sparkling. She looked over to the bedside table, noticing a cup. It was filled with warm milk, and next to it was a dainty plate of cookies! <em>Oh how lovely! <em>Adela thought, taking one and nibbling on it. It was no doubt the best she had ever had. The warm taste exploded in her mouth, and she quickly finished the rest.

Adela got out of bed and walked sleepily over to her case. She was about to open it when something caught her eye. It was the ceiling. It had changed. She could have sworn the mural was of a night sky- now it was blue with puffy clouds. Seeing that, she remembered the final moments before she drifted off to sleep. A shooting star had zoomed across the ceiling. She had passed it off as her mind playing up; she was tired after all. But now she wasn't so sure, how could a mural change like that? Sighing, Adela brushed it off and opened her case, pondering over which dress to wear. She decided to pick one at random, and picked out one of a deep blue, with ribbons decorating the square neckline, and sleeves that ended at her wrist in a triangular shape. Then as she turned to change another thing caught her eye. An old looking dress, draped over the arm chair. She sighed, her mind whirling at all of the strange happenings.

"Good morning, Miss Adela," Digweed greeted, pulling out a chair for the girl to sit upon. He laid the table in front of her and then hurried off. Adela placed the napkin over her skirts, and smiled sleepily at her governess who sat opposite her, shoveling food into her mouth.

"Hello dear, have you tried the food yet? Unlike anything I have ever tasted. Good, very good." She rambled on, and Adela took a croissant from a silver shiny plate.

"And I believe it is a dish best enjoyed in silence." Benjamin hinted.

"Good morning Uncle," She said shyly. He grunted a reply, a look of plain annoyance on his face. Ah, he had been unwise and started a conversation with Miss Heliotrope! Adela thought, giggling slightly. She knew her governess had a tendency to go on, usually about the strangest things. She munched on her croissant, only half listening to her tutor.

"Who is your cook, may I ask Sir Benjamin?, The food is amazing, certainly doing wonders for my trapped wind-" Miss Heliotrope carried on, but Benjamin interrupted her.

"Can't a man enjoy a meal in his own home in silence?" Benjamin snapped, his spoon clunking against the bowl with much force. Miss Heliotrope quit talking then, and raised her eyebrows at Adela. They sat there eating in silence for the next 10 minutes, and when Adela had finished she dared speak again.

"May I go out and explore the grounds today?" She asked. Benjamin looked up from his meal and nodded.

"Yes Adela, but be sure not to go into the forest! It's dangerous for a girl like you."

What did he mean a girl like her? Adela frowned. "Oh Adela, please do wait for someone to go with you, the countryside may have many horrid animals that may… m may eat you!" Miss Heliotrope stuttered, her face going red and her eyes wide behind her round glasses. Although Adela tried her best to keep a straight face, both she and Benjamin couldn't help but splutter with laughter at this.

"Miss Heliotrope I will tell you with such confidence that you shouldn't be worried about any horrid animals around here." He laughed; finally her uncle was warming up. All thanks to Miss Heliotrope's fear of every animal there was on the planet. Adela giggled and stood up, thanking her uncle and Digweed for breakfast. Then she left the dining room and hurriedly got the book her father had given her from her room. As she walked to the front door, Wrolf padded up to her and nuzzled his nose into her palm. She jumped, but relaxed and then patted him. Perhaps he wasn't so scary!

The gardens were beautiful, but seemed lonely. The roses were droopy and the fountain in the back wasn't sparkling and didn't seem to have any life to it. As Adela walked along the path of pebbles, a gap in the hedges caught her eye. It lead to the forest. She knew she shouldn't go out there… but it felt as if she needed to, as if the forest was calling her. "Oh shut up, Adela!" She scolded herself, and then giggled when she realised she had been talking to herself. Though she was mentally yelling at herself to stop, Adela found herself walking through the gap and into the forest- that her uncle had warned her to stay out of.

It was peaceful, and relaxing. The soft sounds of a cricket chirping soothed her. But there seemed no other life. Adela sat herself down on a log and opened the book. It was named "The Chronicles of Moonacre Valley". _How odd, that's the name of this place! _Adela thought, but she began reading. The writing was spirally and the pages were yellow and seemed very old.

_Once upon a perfect time, many hundreds of years ago, when the old magic clung to Moonacre Valley, there was a young woman whose skin gleamed as pale as the stars, and whose heart was as pure as moonlight. Such was her bravery, and goodness. She was beloved by nature, as if she were its own daughter. One faithful night, the moon blessed her, with and extraordinary gift, that would change the magic of the valley, forever. The moon pearls. From that day forth she was known as The Moon Princess. Two ancient families lived in harmony at the edge of the valley, sharing nature's bounty. Daughter of the De Noir clan, The Moon Princess fell deeply in love and was to be married to Sir Ralph Merryweather. Her father, Sir William De Noir, blessed the union by presenting the couple with a rare black lion. In turn, Sir Ralph gave his bride a unicorn, lured from the wild white horses of the sea. Her heart overflowing with happiness, The Moon Princess revealed the magical pearls to both families. Legend told of their unique power, so strong the pearls would grant every wish, both good and evil._

The picture was so detailed; the drawing of the Moon Princess was so beautiful. It was as if the picture was moving, telling the story itself. The princess seemed to be angry, and disappointed.

**_Eeeep!_**

Adela's head shot up from the book and she slowly looked around. She was sure she had heard something. _Hmm_… perhaps it was just a bird, she thought. But still, the curious girl stood up, tucked the book inside the log where she could come back for it later, and left the small clearing. She wasn't really sure what she was looking for, it was just the sound had distracted her and she was no longer in the mood to read. Adela wandered through the forest, searching for the source of the sound.

**_Eeeep!_**

There it was again! Adela gasped. Right there in front of her, was a small round trap, with a small white hare inside. It cowered in the corner, its nose quivering. "Oh you poor thing!" Adela whispered, kneeling down and began to fiddle with the catch. It was harder than she thought to open it. Should she bring it home? Miss Heliotrope wouldn't be pleased. She would probably be quite horrified. Oh well, Adela decided that she would take it back, as once she had set her mind on something, it was hard to change that. She was concentrating so much on opening the trap that she didn't hear to crunch of leaves as someone approached her.

"One trap, two catches." Adela spun around at the voice, her heart almost leaping out of her mouth. For, there behind her, stood a boy, only a little bit older than her. He watched her with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, as three other boys walked out from behind trees and bushes.

"What do you want?" Adela asked, standing up and trying to look unnerved. The boy smirked, and chuckled as he looked at his friends.

"That's girls, can't resist coming to help an animal!" His friends laughed mockingly at her, and Adela felt her face heat up. She took a step backwards, and put her hands on her hips.

"That's because us GIRLS, have feelings!" She retorted. The boy raised his eyebrows and laughed, stepping forwards every time she moved back. Adela then decided to stand her ground. If she ran, she would most certainly be caught. There were 4 of them and only one of her.

"Only girls have feelings, do they? I'm pretty sure right now I feel something."

"And what's that, Robin?" One of the boys asked, walking forward to join the boy. They stood there, both dressed in black. _Robin. _She thought. Suited him, she thought. He seemed to have a bird brain from what she could tell.

"I feel… like capturing a Moon Princess!" Robin replied, and before Adela could even blink, he leapt forward and caught hold of her. She immediately tried to fight back, hitting and slapping him as much as she could, but he had a strong grip and some feeble hits by a girl didn't do anything. "Ooh, she's feisty, boys!" He mocked, as she yelled at him and tried to get free, but to no avail. The boys started herding her through the forest, laughing and chatting to each other as if kidnapping someone was a normal thing to do.

"At least answer my question." Adela growled. She had given up trying to escape; she knew that the four boys could easily chase her and find her again. She wouldn't even know which way to go anyway. She glared up at the boy next to her, Robin. He had a firm grip on her shoulder, and a small smirk across his lips. He looked down at her, amused.

"Well if you are so desperate to know, my father is just dying to make your acquaintance!" He chuckled, but his laughter was cut short when Adela started screaming and yelling. "What are you doing?" He hissed, attempting to cover her mouth. She didn't answer, but kept on making as much noise as she could. Perhaps someone would hear and come to her rescue!

"Robin, what should we do?" Joseph asked, his eyes glancing nervously around.  
>"Use your scarf and make her be quiet!" Robin snapped, and Joseph quickly did what he was told. Adela swallowed hard, trying not to let the tears well up in her eyes. She was a tough girl, she hardly ever cried, and she was desperate not to show her fear now. Oh, what would Miss Heliotrope think?<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Heyy! Sorry I havnt updated in a while. I hope this chapter is ok though! Any reviews appreciated. :)**


	6. The De Noir Castle

**~Chapter 6 - The De Noir Castle~**

**A/N: Thanks to all the reviews, you guys are really helpful :)**

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><p>(Robins POV)<p>

The Moon princess had shut up, thank goodness. Robin guided her through the forest, a firm hand on her shoulder. She wasn't struggling anymore, probably she had realised that there was now no escape. What was she doing in the woods anyway? Surely a London girl like her would rather sit at home being posh. He glared at her, remembering the cut on his hand. No, she wasn't very posh and lady like. He watched her for a moment, wondering what her name was. She had luscious locks, tied in a fish tail plait. Her eyes were outlined darkly, and her eyes were grey. Ugh. Robin felt the hatred bubble inside him, but he would control himself. And he wouldn't ask her name, she might think he was being friendly.

The group walked on in silence for a while; in fact the whole of the woods was quiet. Robin wasn't surprised. There was hardly any life in the woods because of the curse. Did she know about the curse? He wouldn't mention it, just in case. His father would be pleased. Perhaps he would be proud of his son, and not be disappointed! Yes, he would be. After all, Robin had just captured a Merryweather, the number 1 enemy of the De Noirs. He was sure his mother would be pleased too, wouldn't she? She was probably watching over him, maybe smiling. That was what they wanted, his parents. Well his dad mostly. He wanted to own the whole of Moonacre Valley, and the village too. His father was power hungry. What had his mother been like?

"Robin," Isaac said, wakening Robin from his thoughts. They were at the castle, finally. Robin sniggered, noticing the grimace on the Princesses face. She had no idea. As they walked down the cobble stone road, villagers and De Noirs cheered the boys along, patting them on the back and making mean comments to the Princess. She looked hurt, then angry, as if she wanted to say something back but she couldn't. Serves her right, Robin thought. Her family had stolen the Moon Pearls.

"Welcome to your new home, princess!" He jeered, pushing her a bit so she would hurry up.

* * *

><p>(Adela's POV)<p>

"My Uncle will come looking for me!" Adela mumbled through the cloth, stumbling a little when Robin pushed her forwards. Her Uncle would, and Miss Heliotrope. She would be extremely worried when Adela didn't return for lunch. Robin laughed at her, but didn't reply. How dirty it was, the grass on either side of the road seemed to be dead, and the stalls were grey and boring. The villagers didn't seem to smile with happiness, they just laughed with hatred. Why? Why did they all hate her? She had never met any of them, ever. Perhaps her Uncle had done something. But he wouldn't, he wasn't that type of person, was he?

The castle was quite big; it must have been grand once. Now, it was dull and dark, no signs of happiness or life. It was nothing like Moonacre Manor. She stared up at it, the grimace still on her face. The windows were dark too, and there were tall turrets. She tore her gaze away and focused on the ground, not wanting the castle to make her feel depressed. They trudged up a set of stairs, to the main doors where the guards opened them and sniggered at her. "Well done Sir Robin, your father shall be pleased!" One of the guards told Robin in a gruff voice. No running away while they were around, Adela thought.

Robin removed the cloth from around her mouth, and unbound her hands. She wiped her mouth furiously, and shook him off her shoulder. "What a charming home you have," She growled, her eyes scanning the dull hallway. There wasn't much light in here, even though it was almost midday. There was one painting that caught her attention, a large man standing with a very beautiful woman. She was tempted to ask who they were, but she didn't.

"Glad you like it," Robin retorted, opening another set of doors once they reached the end of the hall. It was a dining room. Ah, they were eating already. Adela gulped, noticing how many people were in the room. There was a long dining table, with many people on each side, talking and cackling with laughter, and sipping their wine. One man stood out. It was the same man that she had seen in the painting. He was stocky, with a head of black hair that was long, and a slight beard. His small eyes shot to the group at the door immediately, and he stopped talking to the pretty woman next to him.

"Ah, Robin, you have brought us a guest?" He asked, a hint of sarcasm to his voice. _He must be drunk,_ Adela thought. Robin pushed her forwards, until she was only a few meters from the De Noir. He looked at her, an evil glint in his eye.

"The stupid Moon Princess, Father." Robin said a smug look on his face. Adela felt like slapping him right there, but she knew better. How dare he call her stupid! And… why on earth was he calling her the moon princess?

"Nice to meet you, Miss Merryweather." The De Noir said sarcastically. "Oh, I must introduce myself. I am Coeur De Noir." Coeur smirked as she glared at him.

"De Noir? I'm sure I've heard that before," Adela meant to say this to herself, but it came out louder than she expected. Coeur raised his eyebrows.

"I see you've been reading the book." He grumbled. "Well done Robin."

"Oh…that book. It's just a fairy tale, there are no such things as the Moon Pearls." She told them firmly, frowning. Coeur howled with laughter, along with the people dining.

"Ah, princess. How amusing you are! You must definitely dine with us during your stay. Oh, and you mustn't frown. It doesn't suit your posh London look! Haha, stupid girl. No such thing as the Moon pearls. She knows very well that the darn Merryweathers have them. Those idiotic thieves."

"Don't you dare speak of my family like that!" Adela gasped. How dare they kidnap her, and then speak of her beloved family so rudely! "And I am absolutely not _stupid_!" Although she knew it was extremely un lady like and if Miss Heliotrope was with her she would be shunned, Adela spat at his feet.

""Rude as well… Robin I suggest you take her to the dungeons. I'll figure out what I'll have done with her later."

Robin nodded, and began dragging Adela out of the dining hall. The three boys walked behind her, giggling foolishly and whispering. She knew they were talking about her. Stupid idiots.

* * *

><p>(Robins POV)<p>

Hopefully father was pleased, he thought. How disappointed Robin would be if he wasn't. The hallways were dim, as usual. Robin adverted his eyes as they passed the huge portrait, as he always did. It saddened him, the picture. It reminded him of his mother, the mother he had never met. "Come on, you witch" He growled, as they reached the stairs to the dungeons. The princess had stopped, and she was now clinging onto the banister. Her grey eyes were large and scared, but she stood her ground and refused to move. "Princess, what exactly are you going to do? There's no where you can go without being caught." He mocked, standing in front of her.

"You… you don't know that," She answered, holding her chin high. "You all seem pretty stupid and seem to have a tendency to get drunk!" Ah, she was going to play that game. Robin smirked, stepping closer. She inched away, still clinging onto the banister.

"Princess! Didn't your parents ever teach you not to judge a person so quickly?" He replied, frowning when he noticed that she had winced at that. She was so strange… he had never met anyone like her before.

"No, they did not. And seeing the way you treat me, I guess your father never taught you to respect women!" She almost yelled the last part.

"Why should I? Men are far more superior. Ever read fairy tales? The man is _always_ the hero."

"OH, so you read now. You should really see the look of embarrassment on your father's face right now!" At this, Robin spun round self consciously. His eyes quickly scanned the halls for his father, who was nowhere to be seen.

"Robin! The Princess!" Isaac yelled, and Robin turned to see her dashing through the hall, making a run for the exit. _Stupid witch!_ He screamed inside his head, chasing after her. For a girl, she was a surprisingly quick runner, he thought.

"Guards!" He shouted, and the two men who stood by the main doors jumped, woken from their day dreams. They noticed the girl as she sped towards the doors. Yelling at each other to get her, they both then went to closing the huge doors as fast as they could.

If he didn't catch her, Robin knew he was done for. He couldn't fail again, could he? No, he wouldn't disappoint his father once again. How embarrassing that would be. He was getting closer. He reached out a hand to grab hold of the ribbon that trailed from her dress-

_CLUNK!_

Robin skidded to a halt, managing to stop just before the collapsed body of the Moon Princess. She lay there, unconscious. A pan was by her head, obviously the cause of her state. _Oh God…._ Robin thought, gulping. For there, a few meters behind him was his father.

"My goodness son! How long has it been? Not even an hour. And four boys, much bigger, stronger, and a little older, can't even keep a stupid Princess from escaping?" His voice bellowed out across the hall, making Robin feel like hiding. His father had heard the commotion and come out of the Dining Hall armed with a pan. He must have thrown it at her. Boy he had a good aim.

"She's tricky father!" He answered. Coeur sighed, obviously annoyed by his son.

"Now take her to the dungeons, before I lose my temper and get her killed!" He ordered. Robin nodded meekly and bent to lift Adela. She wasn't heavy at all, and he easily carried her down to the dungeons. It was quiet down there. The guards were mostly asleep at their posts, as the only prisoner they had so far was a demented man who had attempted to kill Robin when he was younger. Robin shivered at the memory.

_"Father, when can we go home? I'm tired!"The young boy moaned. He was out with his father and his father's friends, and they were checking traps and hunting. They had been at it all day, which seemed to be too much for the 8 year old. _

_Coeur ruffled his boy's curly hair, but ignored the question. They had just sighted a deer – the only one they had seen in a while, and he wanted to catch it. "Shhh boy. We mustn't frighten the deer!" He hissed. Robin shrunk away from his father's hand, grumbling to himself. Annoyed, he swiftly climbed the nearest tree, and sat on the lowest branch. He usually did this, nobody ever noticed him up there. His father seemed to have forgotten about him, and had quickly sprinted off after his men. Robin sighed. He was so lonely in Moonacre Valley. Of course he had friends; he was a well known boy. But no one was truly there for him, and no one understood him really. His father didn't care about Robin's happiness. In fact, Robin was pretty sure his father didn't care about him full stop!_

_Sighing, Robin jumped down from the tree. It was getting late; his father had been gone for at least half an hour. It was ok – Robin knew the forest well. He could easily get home from where he was. Well, maybe he would wait a little bit. He could do with some time away from his father. So he sat down, ignoring the odd feeling he felt in his gut. It was as if someone was watching him. Oh well, he thought. Probably nothing. There was nothing he couldn't handle in the forest…_

_BUMP!_

_Robin jolted awake, and rubbed his eyes tiredly. How long had he been asleep for? It was darker now, he had better be getting home. As he slowly stood up, Robin stopped, he was sure he had heard something. A crack, like twigs breaking. That same feeling came to him again, this time with a chill up his spine. "Hello?" He called out, a little nervously. _

_Suddenly, before he could even react, a hand grabbed his wrist and he found himself face to face with a tall man. He held Robin's wrist with a grip so tight, and the look on his face was murderous.  
>"who… who are you?" Robin stuttered, frozen to the spot. The man had squinty eyes, gleaming… they were emotionless and cold… like the determined line that was his lips. <em>

_"ah, bird boy. Coeur's son. You're next in line to control the clan aren't you?" It was more of a rhetorical question, Robin decided not to answer. The man gripped the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer. "I don't think we need you around," The man growled. He was crazy, Robin was sure of it._

_"I… I need to go!" Robin stammered, struggling to get out of his grip._

_"Oh, you're not going anywhere." His voice was low and sent a shiver down Robin's spine. That was when Robin noticed the knife. It glinted in the moonlight, and the man followed his gaze and chuckled slightly. "I guess you've guessed what I'm planning to do…"_

_Robin panicked. He twisted and turned, shouting out as loud as he could, until his throat hurt, until – he felt the cold blade against his neck. "Make one more sound and it will all be over…" The man whispered, taking his free hand and holding Robin against the tree. There was no escape. Would anyone care if he was killed? What would they do when they found his body? What would his father think? What is death like? Frantic questions ran through Robin's head as he fought back the tears. Then he heard the sound that saved his life. _

_A gun shot._

_There he laid, the crazy man, clutching his leg in agony. "Father, Father!" Robin cried, the tears now streaming down his cheeks. Coeur De Noir stepped down from his horse, tucking the gun safely away. For the first time, in since forever, he pulled Robin into a hug._

_"Stupid boy, never stay out in the forest this late!" He grumbled, but deep down behind all the sternness, there was love._

Robin lay Adela down in her cell, and turned back to look at her one last time. She seemed peaceful… for now. Boy was she going to be a handful.


	7. The Servants Quarters

**~Chapter 7 – The servants quarters~**

**(Adela's POV)**

Sunlight streamed through the barred window, and Adela automatically covered her eyes with her arm, not wanting to open her eyes. She had been in a deep sleep, but she couldn't remember dreaming. And oh, how uncomfortable her bed was! She didn't remember it being so cold and hard. There was also a dull ache in the back of her head. Why?

"Woah!" She shot up, suddenly realizing where she was. It was dawn. She was in a dungeon. How wonderful, she thought. The floor was made up of large grey slabs of stone, which had little bumps in it that scratched her back. It all came back to her, the boys in the forest, reading that strange book…. Then suddenly she was being taken to the De Noir castle, and then she was running away… something hitting her head and it all going black. _Stupid bird boy._ Adela lay back down, she was still worn out. Oh what about Miss Heliotrope? She was probably going mad with worry. Would her Uncle look for her? Probably. He had after all told Miss Heliotrope that Adela would be fine. Ah, but he had said not to go into the forest. Why hadn't she listened to him? Adela scolded herself in her mind, how could have she been so stupid?

"Rise and shine, Princess!"

_Bloody hell._ Adela knew that arrogant voice. She looked up to see Robin standing by the barred door, that stupid smirk still on his face.

"We have a lot to do today, so come on." He was getting impatient now, and Adela chuckled to herself. She would have some fun and irritate Robin while she had to stay here.

"What… like suck up to your father?" Adela asked, and sat up against the wall. Robin frowned, not expecting cheek from her. His three friends who stood behind him sniggered, and he glared at them angrily.

"Oh, so you do want to play it that way, don't you?" Robin growled. He stormed into the cell and yanked her up by the arm roughly. "And don't even think about acting like an idiot in the dining hall." Adela rolled her eyes and struggled against him, but he was strong and easily moved her out of the cell and up the stairs.

"so, what's for breakfast? Crow meat? The head of your latest prisoner?" Adela grumbled, as Robin pushed her down the hallway towards the big doors that lead to the dining room. He didn't reply but shoved her slightly.

The dining hall was busy with people as it had been the night before. Servants bustled around, collecting plates and laying out new food. The De Noir clan all ate hungrily, chatting to each other loudly. When the door clicked shut they all went silent and looked up.

"Oh hello Princess. So good of you to join us!" That familiar voice boomed. Adela cringed, remembering her conversation with Coeur the night before. She would have to be careful what she said, she wasn't too keen on dying. They walked past the table until they reached the seats near the head of the table where Coeur sat, a goblet of wine in his large hands. Ugh. _Who drinks wine at breakfast?_ She sat down on the hard seat and grimaced when Robin sat down next to her. "Now I hope you're grateful that we are kind enough to let you eat with us. I don't want any hassle from you." Coeur told her.

They weren't short of food, and that was for sure. The long table was laid with plate after plate of everything. There were golden croissants on a silver platter, porridge in a huge bowl, fresh sausages at one end of the table, eggs in little silver holders and another plate that had a gigantic omelet. Adela sat there, bewildered on what to choose. Back in Moonacre they never had so much food… mind you there were only a few people living there whilst there were about 20 odd in this very room!

Robin looked over at Adela, who was eyeing the food nervously. "It's not poisoned, you know." He said dryly, and she smirked at him before taking a croissant and finishing it quickly. "Princess, you're going to need more than that. We've got a lot to do today!" She growled at him when he said this and took a slice of omelet. It wasn't bad… she reckoned it would have been made better if the cook in Moonacre made it. It was filling though, at least.

"Excuse me, Miss." A young girl, no more than 8, was stood behind her. Adela turned around slightly in her seat to face the little girl. She was small, with blonde hair that was almost white. It reached her waist and was tied in two plaits, with red ribbons. She looked at Adela, with her big blue eyes. "Your plate, Miss." She squeaked. Adela turned to get her plate, and the little girl reached to get it too. She jumped backwards, a terrified look on her face. "I'm so sorry miss,"

"No no its ok, I wasn't going to hit you," Adela said softly, and the servant girl relaxed. She wore a brown dress that almost reached her ankles, with a white apron over the top. It didn't look very comfortable, but the girl seemed to be used to it. She gave a shy smile at Adela before hurrying off with the plate. Adela frowned. Why had the little girl been so jumpy? Coeur couldn't be so evil as to hit them could he?  
>Robin stood up, nudging Adela to get up as well.<p>

"Robin, I expect you are going to take our princess here to the… place she shall work from now on?" Coeur asked. Robin nodded quickly, and left the room with his group of friends and Adela.

"Where are we going?" She asked him, slightly nervous. She had to work? Robin ignored her again, his grip tight on her arm. It was his friend who answered her question.

"To the servants' quarters." He said. Adela looked at him, she remembered him from the forest. His black, floppy hair and tanned skin… he was quite good looking, she had to admit. He smiled at her slightly, his blue eyes sparkling. That was something she had never seen before. A person with blue eyes and black hair. To be honest, it looked nice on him. "I'm Isaac by the way."

"Shut up and stop flirting, Isaac." Robin grumbled. Adela giggled quietly.  
>"He was just being friendly. Nothing wrong with that! It's much nicer for me than you lot being right idiots about everything." Adela stated, and Robin rolled his eyes and pushed her on. Isaac had been the only one other than Robin to speak to her. The others looked at her like dirt, just like Robin did. It was nice for a change, to find someone who wasn't an arrogant bastard.<p>

As they carried on throughout the castle, Adela noticed how that even at dawn, when it was bright and the sun shone, it was still dark. How could anyone live like this? And how did Robin find his way through the castle anyway. It seemed like a maze to her, just like the forest. They passed people, all whom spat at her or yelled insults. Stupid De Noirs. Adela kept her head held high and yelled abuse back, but each time getting a pinch from Robin to shut her up.

"You'll get yourself killed, if you carry on like this!" He hissed at her.

Finally they arrived in a different part of the castle. It seemed even gloomier here. There were no paintings or decorations, just plain walls. There weren't any rugs or soft armchairs, as she had seen before in the castle. "Right. You'll be working here, 4 hours a day. When you aren't, you shall stay in your cell except for meal times." Robin informed her. Adela looked at him, horrified.

"I shall have you know, I am no servant!" Adela gasped. Robin ignored her _again_.

"Rose!" he called. A middle aged woman scurried out into the dim hallway. Her light brown hair was tied in a messy brown bun and she wore similar clothes to the little girl Adela had seen earlier.

"Everything alright, master Robin?" She asked. She seemed pretty confident, even thought she was speaking to the arrogant De Noir boy.

"Here is Adela for you. She will be working here, for hours a day. Get her some clothes and explain to her what she will be doing." He explained. Rose came forward and took Adela by the hand, smiling gently. Her hands were rough and worn, and Adela prayed the same thing wouldn't happen to her. She was proud of her flawless skin. They were lead into a little room, where Rose began to rummage through a wardrobe. She pulled out the same dress as her, but a few sizes smaller.

"Here me' darling. This should fit ya'." Rose handed her the dress. "Now, 'ow bout we get tew werk! Master Coeur won't be 'appy at all if we don't get on wivvit!" Adela narrowed her eyes, trying her best to understand the very unsophisticated accent that the cheerful woman had. But she noticed how a fearful look passed over her face as Rose mentioned Coeur.

"…What'll happen if we don't get enough work done?" Adela asked, her voice trembling slightly. She had to admit, even though she managed to seem confident when speaking to him, she was terrified of the man.

"He'll get out his whip." Isaac answered for Rose. "The old man is tough when it comes to punishments so work hard."

Rose nodded nervously; not wanting to speak of her master unless is was highly. Adela bit her lip worriedly. She had spotted the bruises that covered Rose's arm, before the woman moved away so she couldn't see.

"Come on then lil' un. We'll start with washin' the floors." Rose gently took Adela to another cupboard, and brought out a bucket and cloth. The boys left, sniggering to each other. "Oh don't mind them, me' love. Mister Robin seems like a nasty piece of werk but he's a real ole softeh deep down." Rose assured, noticing the self conscious look on Adela's face. But it wasn't how the boys made fun of her that worried Adela. It was the fact that they would be so harsh with the servants. She knew they were below her… well they were in London. Now she was basically one of them. But the mistresses and masters were never so cruel. Oh how she hated those De Noirs.

**A/N: sorry about the terrible grammar when Rose is speaking! Any reviews appreciated!**


	8. Disruption During Dinner

**A/N: Please R&R, thanks :D**

**~Chapter 8 – Disruption during Dinner~**

Adela lay back and closed her eyes, exhausted. It had been a long four hours of scrubbing, washing and cleaning. "You've done well fur yer ferst day." Rose commented, patting Adela on her head. "Ah thought yew wouldn't do anything… since this is against yer will." Adela opened her eyes and smiled weakly.

"Well there's nothing I can do to get out of this… so I might as well get on with it I guess," Adela murmured. Then she sat up properly and stretched.

"Master Robin shall be comin' to get yew soon, so I'll see yew tomorrah, sweetpea." At that moment, they heard the tapping of footsteps coming down the hallway towards the room they were in. The door clicked open and Robin entered, wearing his usual black leather jacket and dark trousers. "Ah, and here he is!" Rose helped Adela up, and she wearily made her way towards him.

"What's up Princess, not trying to run away anymore?" Robin smirked, watching as Adela stood in front of him, looking exhausted.

"I figured right now there's no point. I'm just not gonna' risk the disappointment anymore." She replied, her voice flat and unemotional. She had really had enough. If she tried to run away, they would capture her and bring her back and she would feel terrible. She didn't want to anger Coeur either… she didn't really fancy dying. Robin stared at her, lost for words. He shook his head in disbelief and took her arm. He was expecting some sort of insult or something, but he got nothing.

**(Robin's POV)**

"… You've got a couple of hours to rest before dinner. I've left a big bucket of water in your room, clean yourself up." He told her as they walked.

"Well you can hardly call it a room." Ah, that was more like it. He felt odd when she didn't argue back, just plain answering. She did look really tired; he wondered what she had to do. But she probably got tired easier, she was from the city after all. They probably didn't do anything there except for sit and drink tea in their posh houses. That's probably what she did… but she seemed to have more spirit than most others. He liked that. _Wait…what am I saying? I don't like anything about her._ Robin scolded himself mentally.

Isaac sure liked her. He had mentioned quite a few times how he had thought of the princess as very pretty… he had also said some other things that Robin quickly banished from his mind. Adela thought he treated women badly… she didn't know Isaac. Of course Robin cared for Isaac, even though he constantly put him down. Isaac had been his friend for many, many years. He would listen to Robin when he needed to talk about things, and he was overall a great friend. To be honest, Robin preferred Paul. He was more sensitive and often stuck up for Robin when his father went mad… which got him into trouble too. Paul was the shortest out of the lot, and the youngest. He was fourteen, the same age as the Moon Princess. He was also shorter than her! But Paul was the funniest, he always cracked jokes randomly, and most of the De Noir girls adored him because he was "cute", with his twinkling blue eyes, spiky brown hair and freckles that dusted his whole face. He was almost like an elf.

They soon arrived at the dungeon, and Robin unlocked the door and pushed Adela inside. "Don't take too long princess, like I said. Dinner is in one hour." He told her, and left. "She's too tired to cause any trouble today," He chuckled as he passed the guard, who also laughed. That was when he realised he didn't even know her real name.

**(Adela's POV) **

Adela stood there, in the middle of the cell. She stared at the large bucket, not moving. Finally, she sighed and walked up to it, and sat down. She splashed the cool water on her poor tired face, feeling more awake – but it didn't get rid of the saddening feeling in her stomach. She washed herself, and then changed back into her old dress. She was exhausted.

Adela had never worked a day in her life when she was in London. Everything had been done for her and she could just sit back and relax. She didn't even have to cook, which she had done today. They had servants who would beetle around the house dusting and washing, never stopping. Though she supposed she was a servant now. Before long she felt her eyes slowly closing so she quickly washed her face again, desperate to stay awake. She couldn't miss dinner, she was starving.

She didn't even know what the De Noirs wanted her for. And why did they keep calling her Princess? These people were crazy. She felt sorry for Rose. She was lovely, but she had to stay here. With the De Noirs' as her masters. How depressing that would be!

The dining hall was busy, as usual. The tables were laid with so much food, steak, turkey, cottage pie. Coeur was cutting himself a large portion of the pie, his dark eyes gleaming hungrily. Adela shivered as she felt Robin's cold hands move her to her seat, near the head of the table, by Coeur. They treated her like a criminal, as if she would run away or cause trouble at any moment. Well. They were right to suspect her. "Ah, our very own little princess. How was our day, do anything special?" Coeur mocked, as Adela sat down. She stayed silent, settling with giving him a cold glare. He chuckled at her, and naturally the whole clan joined in. She felt her face heat up; she was for sure blushing, so she hid her face with her chocolate hair.

She took herself a part of the turkey, and ate it in silence, waiting.

"AAAAAGH!" That was exactly what she had planned. An evil glint appeared in her green eyes as the clan erupted in horrified squeals and half of them spat out their food, disgusted looks on their faces.

"What is this nonsense?" Coeur yelled, his face growing red with anger. "Who did this? Own up now!"

Adela sniggered to herself, finishing the turkey she was chewing. Whilst helping in the kitchens, she had poured tons of the spices, peppers and salt into all of the foods that were being made, except for the turkey, so she would have something to eat. She was quite proud of her devilish plan, and sat there with a smug face while the people around her pushed away their plates, disgusted. Beside her, Robin was looking at her, suspicious. Not that she cared if she got caught.

"You. It was you, wasn't it." Coeur growled, his beady eyes burning into Adela. It was more of a statement than a question. She bit her lip to stop herself from giggling. "It was! You cheeky little witch! What kind of black magic is this?"

"I believe it is not black magic sir, just some spices from the cupboards." Her retort was answered with a hard whack across the face, so sharp that she was knocked of her seat!

She sat on the floor, her burning cheek in her hand. She could feel the tears stinging in her eyes but she wouldn't cry, this was what she wanted, wasn't it? Perhaps to annoy them so much they would let her go? After all, they had no reason to keep her here. Or so she thought. Adela grunted as she felt Coeur's hands grab her neck, bringing her up close to his face. She grimaced; she could see every wrinkle and hair from his beard, and the anger flashing in his eyes. "Now listen here, Princess. You'll be eating the leftovers from now on, in your cell. And don't even think that now we are going to treat you with any respect." Coeur hissed at her, then let her go, sending her crashing to the ground. The whole dining hall was silent.

Robin jumped out of his seat, roughly pulling her to her feet and started heading to the door. Adela limped in front of him, not struggling. She was satisfied at least, although she had got herself a bruised cheek and probably some other cuts or bruises from where Coeur had pushed her to the ground. "Oh, and Robin," Robin turned to face his father. "You'll be bringing her food… and eating with her."

"What?" Adela felt his grip tighten, and she rolled her eyes. If she was to eat alone, couldn't she at least eat in peace?

"You heard me, boy. You were looking after her and look what she caused!"

"You could hardly call it looking after-" Adela cut in, but Robin yanked her arm and she shut up.

"Father, Rose was supposed to be looking after her." He said calmly, knowing that the only way to get what he wanted was to reason with his father and not get angry.

"She is your responsibility, Robin! Go!" Coeur snapped, banging his fists on the table. Robin seemed to get the message, and with an angry growl he shoved Adela out of the room, and they walked back to the cell in silence.


	9. Rose

**A/N: Sorry its taken so long, hope you like this chapter and please review :)**

**~Chapter 9 - Rose~**

It had been two days since the dining hall incident, and meals in the cell with Robin were very awkward. He would sit at the opposite corner to Adela, every now and then glaring at her. She found his hatred for her amusing.

Adela pushed her tray away, only half full. Lunch had been soup with a roll, but the soup was watery and the dry bread just made her gag.  
>"You shouldn't waste food, Princess; I thought you would know that." Robin stated, gobbling his meal like a pig. Adela cringed, watching him.<p>

"You shouldn't eat like that Robin; I thought you would know _that_." For a moment, she could have sworn that he looked amused. But the dull look returned as soon as it left. Once he had finished, he stood up and handed her his tray. She rolled her eyes, automatically knowing what she had to do. It was time for work with Rose, as it was every day for 4 hours. She followed him to the kitchens, and got straight to work on washing up, as she had already changed before lunch.

As she scrubbed at the bowl, she felt as if she was being watched. Adela turned around self consciously, and she jumped slightly when she saw Robin leaning against the doorway, watching her with his dark, mysterious eyes. He smirked, realizing he had scared her. "What's the matter Princess, can't work under pressure?"

"No, I just didn't expect you to waste your time over here. Thought you'd be out catching fairies for your _beloved_ father." She replied, turning back to dry the bowl. He chuckled under his breath, both insulted and amused. "Anyway, why are you here?"

Robin was silent for a while before answering. "I just find you so strange…. You're different." It sounded slightly insulting, but his tone was soft and genuine with only a hint of dislike, and she stopped for a moment, not sure how to reply. She didn't have to.

"Mornin' Robin, Mornin' Princess!" Rose sang cheerfully as she bustled into the room, her hand stacked with plates. Robin nodded at her curtly, before turning to leave.

"You should make her wash all the dishes – she didn't half waste her food today. Moon Princesses- they're all the same." He said to Rose, smirking to himself.

Well then. Just when she thought there was a nicer side to Robin, he goes and does that. Rose shook her head, laughing and patted Robin on the back as he turned to leave. "He's olways' been a cheeky little so n' so." She chortled, placing the plates on the counter. The two worked quietly for a while, enjoying each others company. Adela quite liked spending time with Rose, the old woman was wise and motherly, something Adela needed. But one thing niggled in the back of her mind. Finally she decided to break the silence.

"Rose… how come you're so…close to Robin? He, along with his father treats the other servants like dirt…but with you…" rose chuckled at this, and her kind face warmed and she smiled as if she was remembering something.

"I owe me' life to Master Coeur, lil' un." She said, taking a wooden stool and sitting down by the fire place. Adela brought some dishes to dry with the tea towel and sat at her feet on the rug, waiting for the woman to continue. "It were winter, 14 years ago…."

Flashback

_The cold wind harshly whipped against the woman, and she huddled into her blanket to keep warm. "We'll be alright," She whispered to the new born baby who lay in her arms. His wispy hair ruffled slightly with the wind and his soft cheeks were flushed with the cold. He blinked his blue eyes at her and squeaked a little. She had to find shelter. But it was almost impossible._

_The trees were blackened and some were reduced to cinders, which stained the foot deep snow brown. Ugly shadowy shapes floated across the land, twirling around and sucking the life out of everything they came across. The houses were burnt down and the once pretty village of Moonacre was now nothing. She could hear them. They hissed and whispered every time they flew past, tormenting her, waiting for her to go completely mad before they took her and her baby's life. The shadows. That's what they were called. They took her mother. And her darling daughter and husband._

_How she missed him, her beloved Paul. He was everything to her, her true love. His dark hair, shining eyes and handsome face. He was gone now. She was alone, and she was going to die, along with her little baby. Her life had been perfect, a lovely little family. She helped Paul on his Doctors rounds, they managed just fine. Couldn't someone help her? Couldn't have Sir Benjamin done something? No. He had been moping in his manor for the past few years. Sir De Noir wouldn't help anyone. He wanted the valley to go to ruins and die with the curse…then it would all be his. _

_In the distance she could hear the soft trotting of horses' hooves. Whoever it was, they were coming closer. She decided to stay put; it could be the shadows playing tricks on her. _

_Soon a gorgeous black stallion came into view, followed by three others. A large man dismounted the horse and took off his cape, revealing black hair. It was Coeur. He surveyed the area for a while, his men doing the same._

_"Such a shame, really." He grumbled, not much sympathy in his voice at all. "We shall help rebuild the town- so send out some men to go and find the villagers." After a few more minutes he turned to get back onto his horse again, and that was when he noticed a tartan blanket wrapped around a shivering shape. He squinted, trying to make out who it was but to no avail. "Show yourself!" He ordered.  
>She gulped quietly and uncovered her face, nervously awaiting the man's reaction.<em>

_ Coeur frowned and strode over to the woman. She was huddled by a blackened tree, and seemed to be cradling something under the blanket. Her face was ever so slightly blue from the cold, and she looked half dead. He felt pangs in his chest. She looked like Lady De Noir on her death bed. He couldn't stand it. So he did something he never had ever imagined doing._

_He offered a home in his castle._

_"What is your name, girl?" He asked, offering a hand to help her up. She didn't take it and stayed cradling something._

_"Rose." She whispered._

_"Well Rose, if you don't take this offer then you'll surely die out here. Are you coming or not?" He was getting slightly frustrated. Rose nodded weakly, and attempted to stand up. The blanket fell off to reveal a week old baby in her arms. Coeur's eyes widened and he stood there speechless. "Why didn't you mention you had a child?" He barked, taking her arm and dragging her to the horses._

_Rose shrunk away. She would have taken up the offer to live in his castle if it meant she would live, but she knew it would mean she would be a servant…and her son would be too. He didn't deserve a life like that. Reluctantly she followed him and rode with him back to the castle, tears running down her cheeks. Her poor little boy._

Adela cradled her knees to her chest, listening intently. "You had a son?" She cut in, curious. Rose smiled sadly, and nodded.

"Yes, I do." Adela frowned; she hadn't seen any boys in the servant quarters. "Here, I'll explain." Rose said.

_The castle was gloomier than ever, everything that had once represented happiness had been taken down. Life at the De Noir castle had almost grinded to a halt since the death of Lady De Noir. Coeur sat her down by the fire place and handed her a bowl of hot soup. Rose sipped it gratefully, but the whole time her eyes were on her baby who was in the arms of one of the servants. "Now, Rose. Here is the deal. You work for us," Coeur gestured towards the little group of servants, who awaited his next order. "And we look after you. And when your boy gets old enough- he will join you."_

_A little sob escaped from Rose's mouth, and she told herself not to cry. "I am very grateful for this Sir, but my son… please." _

_But there was nothing she could do, and she watched helplessly as her son was taken away to be cared for but the nurse maids with Coeur's 2 year old son, Robin._


	10. Answers don't Help at All

~Chapter 10 - Answers don't Help at All~

Adela rubbed her hands by the fire; it was starting to get colder, as it got closer to November. "Aight, I'll see ya later lil' un." Rose ruffled Adela's hair, and smiled up at Robin as he entered the kitchen. "Ah, Master Robin, just in time. Ya might wanna' get this un' a blanket fer the nights, its gettin' cold out." Robin nodded, and pulled Adela up by the arm.

"You're lucky Rose has taken a shine to you, Princess." He hissed in her ear, as they left the servants' quarters and headed back to the dungeons. She shivered slightly, but brushed it off.

"Why, is someone a little bit jealous?" She teased, grinning and nudging him. The boy scowled at her, and began walking faster, checking over his shoulder every few minutes. Adela noticed they seemed to be going a different way, and they were climbing a few stairs too. Once they reached a door, Robin seemed to relax a little and he opened it quietly, wincing at the screeching sound it made. "May I ask why we are here?" She asked, peering inside.

It was a pretty bedroom; the wallpaper was a peachy cream sort of colour, with a green border at the top and bottom of the wall. The floor was wooden, but it was a lovely dark brown colour. In the middle of the room was a cream rug. Atop the rug, in the middle of the wall was a four poster bed, with bed sheets that was almost the same colour as the walls. The curtains that draped around the bed were brown, everything seemed so coordinated. At the foot of the bed was a loveseat, and opposite that was a white dressing table, with perfumes of every sort in little clusters. It was obviously a woman's room. They must have been in one of the turrets too, the room was round, and as she hurried to the window as Robin fumbled about she could see they were quite high up- higher than her bedroom at Moonacre.

"Oh wow Robin…it's wonderful, whose room is it?" She asked, walking over to the dressing table and admiring the glass bottles. Then she ran back to the tall cupboard that stood next to the window, and opened it. A gush of dust flew out and she jumped back and coughed, waving the dust away.

"Shut up!" Robin snapped quietly, glancing out of the door. Adela realised, they weren't supposed to be here. But still, she stuck her tongue out at him and went back to the cupboard, and stared in awe at the 3 dresses that were in there. She pulled out one, it was beautiful, a deep blue dress with gold trimmings, a square neckline and flared sleeves. She held it to herself and waltzed over to the full mirror, laughing. Robin stopped what he was doing and looked over and watched her, laughing quietly. That dress would suit her, he thought to himself.

"Robin… may I stay in this room tonight please? Just for one night. Its cold down there…and I… I always hear that crazy old man in the stall next to me whispering scary things through the grates…please…?" Adela was now right in front of him, her eyes wide and almost teary. He stared at her for a moment, his cold eyes boring into hers. Huh, and she thought he was happy a few moments ago.

"No."

"But…why? Its been weeks. Don't you think I miss having a comfy bed? Feeling safe? Because I do. What have I done to make you all hate me?" She was almost yelling now, and she had chucked the dress on the floor. Robin swore under his breath and covered her mouth, his eyes darting to the door as he heard footsteps.

"Who's there? Show yourself." He heard the voice of a man, probably one of his cousins. Shit, they couldn't find him here with the Merryweather girl. He grabbed her arm, picked up the dress from the ground and pulled her into the cupboard. She suddenly realised what was happening and clamped her mouth shut, but the anger was still clear in her eyes. The footsteps got closer and then circled around and left, quite slowly. Adela let out a sigh of relief and moved to open the door but Robin pulled her back. "If he's a true De Noir, he won't leave until his suspicion is cleared." Robin hissed, and his grip around her arm tightened when the footsteps appeared again, quieter this time. It was quiet awkward, the two of them, absolute enemies, having to stand so close in the cramped cupboard. Adela blushed slightly, and shook her arm out of his grip.

Robin's dark eyes lit up and he smirked and turned around, so he was facing the back of the cupboard. He started pressing on each plank of wood, until he found one plank that made a clicking sound, and then the back of the cupboard slowly creaked open. Adela shielded her eyes from the sunlight that blinded her, and when her eyes had grown accustom to the light she squinted at the view. The back of the cupboard had hidden a secret door, which lead to a balcony that looked out over the other side of the forest.

"Oi!" A voice yelled, and the man began banging on the cupboard door. Robin jumped and ran out onto the balcony, grabbing Adela's hand and pulling her along. They rushed along the wall to a spiral staircase and began to run down it, with Adela every now and then stumbling because of the speed that they were going. They must have been quite high up because Adela could see the Merryweather mansion's rooftops and towers. The view was brilliant, especially as the sun was beginning to set and the red, orange and yellow colours were melting into the pink sky. But she was soon snapped out of the trance when the sound of thundering footsteps began to follow them up ahead, and she concentrated on getting to the bottom faster.

* * *

><p>When they reached the ground and ran for the gardens, where they would be hidden by the massive bushes. Robin flopped down onto one of the crumbling grey stone benches, and Adela sat down too, panting in exhaustion. "I need some answers." She breathed, trying to get her breath back. "Firstly, who's room was that, and why were we there?"<p>

Robin rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his messy curls. He took a moment before answering, and stared out at the pond ahead. "That room belonged to… my sister. Her name was Loveday." He began, his eyes saddening at the memory of his older sibling. "That's how I knew about the secret door…. She used to sneak out that way, to see… Shit, why am I telling you this stuff, Princess?" He suddenly snapped, standing up and pacing back and forth. Adela winced and sighed. She'd never get anything out of him.

But even so, she wanted answers and wanted him to carry on. "Who did she sneak out to see?" She asked quietly, and began fish tail plaiting her long hair. Robin turned around to face her, a frustrated expression on his face.

"Benjamin Merryweather." He hissed, storming back over to her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "And do you know what that meant for her? When my father found out… he banished her. Because she was in love with a bloody Merryweather. She lives in the forest, Princess. Do you see what my father's like now? He never wanted to see my sister again. That's how serious this curse is." He told her, and she pushed his hands away and stood up as well, letting her plait unravel.

"There is no such thing as this stupid curse; it was only in a book. All of you are mad! If only you knew how much I'd rather be in London!" She said firmly, walking towards the pond. It was quite large, but there were no ducks and half the plants around it had died. Robin followed her, catching up easily. Why was she still here, when she could run and get out of this place? It surely can't be that hard to get back to the Merryweather Manor. Adela considered this for a moment, and her eyes darted around for a quick exit. She still had her servant dress on, and that was easier to run in than her normal dress.

"You don't bloody understand, Princess!" Robin cried, picking up a stone and hurling it as far as he could to let his anger out. It bounced on the water's surface twice, before sinking under.

Adela folded her arms, and turned to the frustrated boy. "You're right, I don't understand." She said simply.

Robin opened his mouth to reply, but a deep voice cut him off, and a short but large man stepped into the clearing that they were in. "What on _Earth_ do you think you are doing?"

**A/N: Erm Im not to pleased with this chapter. Ah well. Be cool and tell me what you think :P**


	11. Another Dinner Disruption

**A/N: So sorry this took so long! I had originally wrote this on my computer but I forgot to send it to myself so I could finish the chapter when I went on holiday, so I had to re-write it. If when I get back I see the other chapter is better I'll replace it, I'll say if I do.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, they make me so happy :) I'll try to be faster with updates. Enjoy!**

~Chapter 11 - Another Dinner Disruption~

Adela dragged the comb that Rose had given her through her tangled, dark hair. She had given up eating, the nerves crawled in her stomach and she felt like every mouthful she took would come back up. The discarded plate of potato and lay in the corner of the room, hardly touched. It was hardly anything, anyway. Robin wasn't eating with her tonight, he had to be in the dining hall, it was requested by Coeur.

Don't be scared, be brave. Be strong, for Ms Heliotrope at least. Adela told herself, dropping the comb and curling up in the corner, wishing her servants dress had some sort of shawl with it. The day had been eventful, and had ended with Coeur finding Robin and Adela in the gardens, but he didn't know they were arguing. No, he had thought that Robin was planning to help her escape. Of course he wouldn't do that, the bastard was to devoted to his father to help an innocent girl escape imprisonment.

Without waiting for an explanation Coeur had grabbed Adela by the collar of her dress and dragged her through the gardens and the castle, down to the dungeons. People had stopped and stared on the way, and soon the rumors started. Coeur had roughly shoved her into the cell, his eyes shining with rage. But he had hissed one thing to her that made her shiver every time she thought of it; _You'll be sorry you ever set foot in Moonacre, Princess... I wonder how Benjamin will take the news. _

Robin stormed through the hallways, Isaac following close behind. "Robin, what happened? Just tell me, I could help you!" Isaac called after him, reaching out and stopping Robin by grabbing his shoulder. Robin stared at him for a moment, calming himself down.

"Right, I'll bloody tell you. Thanks to that bloody Princess my Father caught us in the bloody gardens. He'll respect a bloody servant more than me at this rate." He grumbled, keeping his voice low so the whole castle didn't find out. Mind you though, they probably did. A couple of De Noirs and other people stopped and whispered, their eyes boring into Robin.

Isaac raised his eyebrows and started walking again, shaking his head. "Wow Robin, you've blown it. And you say bloody a lot, has anyone ever told you that?" Isaac replied. Robin let out a small cry of anguish and stormed off, towards the dining hall. His father had requested that he ate there tonight, instead of with the Princess. He knew why. Coeur would probably start a shouting match which could end up violent, or if he was in a particularly evil mood he would embarrass Robin until he could take it no more and snap, and admit what he had done wrong.

Robin wouldn't let that happen, no, he would stick to his story which was partly true. He pushed the huge doors open and walked into the dining hall, ignoring the silence that came with his entrance. Everyone who was eating had stopped and now just stared, some looking angrily at him, some with hope and others with fear. Not fear of him anymore, but fear of his fate.

"Ah, Robin. How nice of you to grace us with your presence." Coeur greeted, an evil smile playing on his lips. Robin found himself biting his tongue hard to not say something he would regret and took his usual seat, across from where his mother would sit. It had been 16 years since her death, giving birth to Robin. Still, Coeur let no one sit where she once did, it was her space and no one elses. People grew used to this and avoided the seat, although a few new comers would sit there and quickly be shooed away by the nervous servants. Lady De Noir must have been so special to his father, he never let her memory die.

The meal continued in an awkward silence, the only sound was cutlery clanking against plates. Robin could feel his fathers eyes boring into the side of his head, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Finally the silence was broken when the doors opened loudly, and a tall man with a sharp but handsome face entered the room. Daniel. Robin's cousin and the most annoying man to exist. Well that was what Robin thought of him. He nodded to Coeur and took a seat next to Robin, smiling the whole time. "Nice to see you, lover boy." He chuckled, grabbing the ladle and pouring spoonfuls of gravy over the turkey that was already there.

"Just _wonderful_ to see you too." Robin replied, breathing slower. Daniel was taking large swigs of wine and laughing with everyone around him, while Robin sat there awkwardly, awaiting to be accused or embarrassed.

Suddenly, Daniel stopped laughing and turned in his seat to face Robin, his face flushed and his eyes slightly glazed. Taking another sip from his glass, he winked. "So, who was that lovely lady you were hiding earlier today, lad? Your lover?" He grinned, nudging Robin with his arm.

_You're kidding me. _"I don't know what you're talking about Daniel, I think you should stop drinking that wine like a starved pig." He said calmly, keeping his cool. He could feel Coeur watching him, and refused to meet his eyes.

"Oh you very well know! I saw you with the girl running through the gardens. How romantic eh," He slurred, and stood up, ignoring Robin who tried to stop him. "You see, ladies and gentlemen. I was returning to my chambers after a lovely day with a lovely woman," He turned and winked at a blushing woman who was wearing the heaviest dress known to man and had her black hair piled on top of her head. "When I heard noise coming from Loveday's old room." Coeur stiffened at this, his face growing colder as Daniel continued. "Laughing, I think it was. So I went to find out, knowing that nobody goes to Loveday's room. I got there and there was nobody around. I was about to leave when I heard talking coming from the cupboard, so I opened it. There was a secret door! The brick wall opened to a balcony, and I rushed out there to see our Robin running through the gardens with a girl in very odd attire. C'mon Robin ol' boy, tell us who the lucky lady is!" Daniel finished, took a drunken bow and flopped back onto his seat.

If looks could kill, Robin would be dead from the glare from Coeur. Taking a deep breath, he stood up himself. "Father, Daniel is a drunken bastard. He was mistaken, I was not with a _lover. _The Merryweather girl was acting up when I was taking her back to the dungeons, and took a detour. She wanted some fresh air, so I took her outside. I was taking her back when you found us, father." He explained.

Coeur considered this for a moment. "I don't believe you son. That girl is trouble! She does not deserve fresh air. She works for us now, and is treated like any other servant. In fact, she will be treated worse. I cannot trust you with her Robin." He said calmly, adjusting his large body in the seat until he was comfortable.

"I- You can trust me! I hate the girl just as much as you do, father. I did not know, it won't happen again." Robin replied, sitting down.

"It very well will not happen again, I'll see to that. She might have found out our plans, things only De Noirs can know." Coeur continued, partly ignoring Robin.

Shit, this isn't going as well as I thought... Robin thought to himself, moving some stray curls from his eyes. "Look I promise she knows nothing, she doesn't even know of the curse! And there is no way she will escape." Robin said, his eyes unintentionally drifting towards the scar that was on the back of his hand, from when he and his gang had tried to to kidnap her in her carriage. "Well she knows of the curse, but she thinks its a fairytale and that we're all mad." Robin added, biting his lip.

"Well, she will never know that it is all true. Thank you for notifying me of what Robin and... Miss Merryweather have been up to." Coeur said, nodding to Daniel who was sitting back in his chair, pouring himself another glass of wine while a servant tried to control his shaky hands to stop the wine spilling everywhere.

"What do you mean? We haven't been up to anything! Rose asked me to give her a blanket, that's all." Oh well done Robin, he thought. He had just brought Rose into this, not a good idea.

"Rose, eh?" Coeur grumbled. "Never mind that. Next week exactly we shall have her executed. Publicly." Coeur confirmed, an evil glint in his eye. The dining hall erupted into cheers and Coeur let out a hearty laugh. Everyone now saw reason to celebrate, Moonacre would be theirs. All except Robin, who rushed out of his seat, almost knocking it over.

Although he felt much hate towards the Princess, he could not let her die.

He sprinted through the hallways, ignoring shouts as he pushed past many people. The walls of the castle got narrower and darker, until he arrived at the kitchens. He entered, and immedietly the chatter stopped. "Master Robin, how may we help you?" One servant asked, standing up and curtseying slightly. He rolled his eyes at her and brushed away her service with a wave of his hand, and made his way over to Rose, who was serving the small portions to two little children of a servant.

"Rose, I need to talk to you." He rushed, taking his bowler hat off and running a hand through his messy curls. She sighed and stood up, stretching her back.

"Aight Master Robin, what's on yer mind." She said, yawning slightly.

"In private."

Rose took his arm and lead him through a door to the pantry. It was quiet in there, and away from the keen ears of the servants. "Go on then, I 'ave werk to do y'know." She said. When Adela had first come to the De Noir castle she had been surprised at the way Rose talked to both Robin and Coeur, but after listening to her story she now understood.

Robin hesitated for a moment, before beginning. "Long story short, my father caught me in the gardens... with the Princess." He began.

Rose scoffed and shook her head. "Yew came all the way over 'ere to tell me that yew've got a thing goin' with the Princess?" She chuckled, slapping him on the arm slightly.

"Rose! No! There is nothing happening between us. I hate her, she hates me. Why don't any of you idiots get that?" He cried, frowning.

"Oh sorry dear boy, I 'ope yew'll furgive me. Go on then, tell me what's really the problem." Rose apologised, folding her arms and doing her best to be serious. Robin took a deep breath, and checked outside again to make sure there was no one around.

"My father is having her killed, next week. I need your help to get her out."


	12. Rose's Story

~Chapter 12 - Rose's story~

It was getting dark, and the only light in her cell was from a torch outside, its flames flickering and creating jumpy shadows on the stone walls. She felt quite lonely, without Robin to make small talk with. He hadn't stayed with her, after the incident with Coeur. That was a few hours ago, now. But the De Noirs did have big meals, and their dinners lasted for hours. But still, what if Coeur was angry… what if he was hurting Robin? It shouldn't bother you. She told herself, but as soon as she closed her eyes and leant her head back onto the cold walls, images flashed by. Robin was limping through the hallways, leaning on the wall for support. He stopped for breath, and cried out in agony and anger. Then he looked up. His eyes were dark and pained, his curls unruly and his bowler hat was missing. He had a long jagged cut on the side of his neck, and blood was staining his brown shirt. A purple bruise was beginning to form on his cheek. He tried to walk on, but he could go no further, the pain in his leg overpowering him, and he collapsed, shifting himself until he was leaning against the wall, and he waited until Rose would find him.

No. Adela forced her eyes open, and the images disappeared. Her mind was probably over-exaggarating. Robin was tough, and she was sure- however much she hated Coeur, that he had even the slightest bit of love for his son and wouldn't hurt him like that.

Anyway, why did she care? She scolded herself, and her eyes drifted to the dark bruise that tattooed her wrist. The De Noirs had hurt her. They wanted her dead. And plus, it was for nothing. Well, that was what she thought. Maybe the curse did exist, or everyone was just plain mad. Yeah, she had no reason to care for that stupid bird boy. But you do care for him. The voice came back, taunting her until she admitted it. She cared for him. Only a little, though. He had grown on her, even though he had been cruel to her and mocked her, he had been the only one to show even the smallest bit of kindness out of the De Noirs. Except Rose, she was the loveliest person Adela had met.

* * *

><p>Rose. Everyone respected Rose. She was sort of a mother figure to Robin, Adela had noticed. 14 years ago, she had come to this castle, rescued by Coeur. He had taken her day old son to be cared for with his own- a two year old Robin. When the little boy was old enough, he would join his mother as a servant child. Rose didn't want this, not at all. She spent many nights crying, wondering where her little boy was. She was never allowed to see him, for fear that she would try to take him and run away.<p>

Six years passed, and it was the harshest winter yet, with every piece of prey being skinny and weak, making it an easy catch but the meat was stringy and fed only a few. Outside, there was snow 3 feet high, and the guards and servants had been at work, creating pathways. It was also the winter after Loveday had been banished. Robin was now a young boy of 8, and her son would be 6. She never saw him once, in the years she had worked for the De Noirs. Slowly she began to forget him, until it felt like it was her imagination that she had a child.

It was that winter when a horrible disease broke out in the De Noir castle. Everyone fell to it, the servants, the guards, everyone. But the person who was struck the worst was Robin, who was now confined to his bed. Rose was well and healthy, as when she was in the village her husband had taught her how to keep herself healthy and build up a good immune system to fight illnesses.

It was while she was tending to a sick servant when she was called. A good friend of Coeur's who wasn't as badly affected, had come running to her and requested her help for Coeur's youngest, Robin. She had gone straight away, she had seen other servants being beaten during her time in the castle, and she had been lucky enough to avoid that.

Coeur was waiting by his sons bed, his head in his hands. Rose entered nervously, and clicked the door shut, making him look up. "Ah, girl. I will grant you anything… If you cure my son." He said weakly. "I have just lost my precious daughter- I cannot lose another."

Rose couldn't believe her eyes. The almighty Coeur seemed to be crumbling before her, and for once she was in power. Robin lay on the bed, his eyes fluttering every couple of minutes as he coughed non stop. His face was a deathly shade of white, and his lips were blue, even though he had many sheets covering him. "He cannot eat, he cannot drink. He either brings it all back up, or he wont even swallow it. This is worse than any flu this castle has been affected with, girl." Coeur informed her, and left the room.

It took weeks to cure them all. Being the widow of a doctor had its perks, Rose thought. She used the skills she had picked up and made soups out of herbs and spices which they all had to drink twice a day. She had a team of the healthiest men follow her out into the dark of the night to find a special flower. It was called the Astrid Quartz flower. It was special to Moonacre, and could be found only at night, when its buds opened up and shone out a soft, sparkling white light. They would spend hours looking for these flowers, as they were getting rarer as the Moon drew closer. They would collect these plants and Rose would use them in her recipes, as she knew they were hated by the Shadows, who probably brought the illness upon the castle. Only love could over come the Shadows, and the Astrid Quartz flower was known for glowing a gorgeous pink colour when given to someone by their true love. When this happened it was called the Astrid Rhodochrosite flower, but nobody called it that name and just used the simplest form, the Astrid flower.

A month passed, and Robin fully recovered, the pink returned to his cheeks and his sparkling brown eyes were wide open and full of life again. Coeur couldn't thank Rose enough, and promised her the wish.

She asked for her son to be treated as a De Noir, and not a servant. So from then on, Rose was the most respected servant for saving the life of Robin and many others, and her son who she still hadn't met, would be treated like a De Noir, and that meant he would have a good life.

* * *

><p>"Adela!" Adela's eyes fluttered open to the sound of her name, but whoever called it did not appear. Instead a note fluttered through the bars of the high windows. She frowned slightly but picked it up, curiousity getting the better of her.<p>

_Be ready to escape. Distract the guards. ~R~_

Her heart stopped for a moment as she re-read the note. She was going to escape? And who was R? Robin, or Rose? Should she trust the note? Well, she had nothing to lose so she picked herself up, and screamed as loud as she possible could.

**A/N: Im so sorry! i 've had a busy month, and to be honest I forgot to write a new chapter. So sorry to keep any of you waiting! But here it is, although its short it took me a while :S **

**The next chapter will be written soon, I'll make sure! Oh, and anything that confuses you in my story, just say in the comments and I'll try and make sure it makes sense, as I confuse myself sometimes when I write, haha :) **

**So review please :D**


	13. The Escape

~Chapter 13 - The Escape~

She only had a couple of seconds to act. So once she had ran out of breath, Adela kicked the tray on which her dinner was served out of the way, and ran over to the little ledge which had a tall barred window.

Almost instantly, three gaurds were outside her prison cell, one fumbling with the keys and the others trying to get a glimpse of what was happening. They unlocked the door and burst in, their faces full of annoyance and anger from being disturbed.

The room as far as they could see, was empty. Then suddenly Adela collapsed onto the floor, holding her neck and whimpering. Her grey dress was torn and frayed, and her hair was ruffled and messy. The biggest of the guards yanked her up by her hair and demanded an explanation.

Shivering, she began to speak. "It was a madman. He broke the top bars of the window, he tried to talk to me and then he tried to pull me through!" She cried. " He said he was going to kill every De Noir and every Merryweather so the pearls would be his! I scratched him and he let me go, but he ran in the direction of the market, and he had a knife! If you don't do something, he'll… he'll… kill us all!" She broke down sobbing, covering her tear streaked face with her hands. Two of the guards looked at each other, uncertain.

"What did he look like?" The biggest guard asked, yanking her up again.

"long, shaggy grey hair, blue eyes and a scraggly moustache. And he was wearing a ripped up brown shirt, leather trousers and a dirty waistcoat made of some sort of animal skin." She said quietly.

"You'd better not be lying." The man growled, narrowing his eyes. "Right, you two! Off towards the village and try to find this man. I'll stay with the girl." He ordered, and the smaller two guards jumped and ran out of the room.

"I know I've been a nuciance Sir, but may you please fix the bars on the window, I would rather not be pulled up through the top, as he might come back again." Adela asked politely, smiling sweetly.

The guard grumbled to himself and stepped up onto the ledge, and then reached up so his head and arms were between the top of the window bars and the over hanging brick wall. There was just enough space for him to fit.

Tip toeing as silently as possible, Adela grabbed the thick tray and crept over to the unsuspecting guard, who was trying to fit the bars back in place. In one swift movement, she stepped up onto the ledge and slipped the tray in the gap between the guards head and the wall, trapping him.

"Oi! You little brat!" He yelled, his voice muffled as he struggled. A grin spread across Leanna's face, and she sprinted out of the open cell door, and crashed straight into a leather clad chest.

"Good job." The boy smirked quietly, grabbing her wrist and breaking out into a run. Robin was wearing his usual clothes, except he had taken off the odd feathers and bits and bobs that dangled around his neck, and instead of his bowler hat, a piece of cloth was tied like a bandanna on his head to hide his hair, along with a strip of cloth across his nose again.

They left the dungeons quickly, and as they reached the first floor Robin ripped off his disguise, and they headed towards the kitchens. There was only dim light escaping from the occupied rooms, someone had gone round and blown out all the candles. Adela found herself clinging onto Robin's arm for dear life; afraid she would trip and fall.

Finally they got to the shabbier parts of the castle, the servants quarters. It was lit here, but there was nobody around. After all, it was almost midnight. They rounded a corner and then entered the kitchens, where Rose sat in a rocking chair by the fire. She jumped up as soon as they entered, and rushed ahead to the door to the pantry. With shaking hands she fumbled with the keys and then unlocked the door, and ushered Robin and Adela into the pantry. "Be safe, lil' 'un." She whispered, hugged the girl tightly, and then left the room.

"Why are we in here?" Adela asked quietly, as Robin began to climb the wooden shelves, pushing the various jars out of the way. He pointed to the small window at the top of the room, and hoisted himself up onto the top shelf. She nodded, her eyes flickering to the door every few seconds.

"It's the most unknown way out. They won't come in here, Princess." Robin told her, and pushed the window forcefully. It swung open, and he looked out, before turning back and offering a hand to help her up. She grabbed hold of it and began climbing, remembering the time her neighbors cat got stuck in the oak tree in her back garden. She had climbed halfway up to get it, before being scolded by her father and Miss Heliotrope for un-lady like behavior. Once she was on the top shelf, Robin slipped through the window and landed on the long grass on the other side. He reached his arms up to catch her.

"Is there…perhaps another unknown way out?" She managed to whisper, feeling giddy as she looked at the drop. Robin's arms dropped and he raked a hand through his curls.

"You are joking, aren't you Princess." He growled, marching up to the wall and looking up at her. "Do you want to die?"  
>She froze at this, feeling herself go weak. They were planning to kill her? "They're going to kill me?" She squeaked, but fell silent when she heard voices.<p>

Without a look back she slipped her legs through the gap and fell through, landing in Robin's outstretched arms with a small thump. She'd lost weight, Robin thought. He remembered the time when he had tried to pull her out of the carriage, and now when he was holding her in his arms. She was so much lighter, and he felt a surge of guilt run through him.

"You're the girl who isn't afraid to stab my hand, who isn't afraid of my father, who isn't afraid to climb a 10 foot high cabinet… who isn't afraid of me… and yet you're scared to jump one floor." Robin sighed. "You really confuse me, Princess." He said, setting the shaking girl down onto her feet.

"Likewise." She murmured. "I'm not afraid to climb… I'm not afraid of heights either, it's just falling that scares me." She explained, standing up straight and closing her eyes, trying to gain her balance again. When she opened them, Robin was wearing his disguise again and was staring out into the forest.

He took her arm again and set off running, taking her past the stables and into the vast forest, winding through the trees. Adela had no idea where she was going, but Robin seemed to know. He never once stopped to make sense of where they were, he just seemed to know. Finally they slowed to a stop in a little clearing, one that Adela recognised. There was a hollow log in the centre, surrounded by clumps of daisies and bluebells and buttercups. It was where she had read the book, and later been captured by Robin and his gang. "You know the way back…" He muttered, looking back into the forest.

Adela nodded, rubbing her bare arms. "Thankyou Robin." She said, and his eyes snapped back to her face. He nodded this time, and his eyes never left hers.  
>"Take care, Princess." He said, before turning to leave. She grabbed his arm, stopping him.<p>

"My name is Adela." She whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. Robin was stiff for a moment, but he slowly relaxed and hugged her back, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I prefer Princess." He replied cheekily, letting go. "And we're not friends… in case anyone asks." He added, giving his signature grin, before disappearing into the pitch black forest. Adela grinned, before walking over to the log and checking inside of it. Sure enough, the big old book was sitting inside of the log, completely dry and unharmed. She took it out before hurrying off in the other direction, towards Moonacre Mansion. It was hard to see where she was going, and once or twice she tripped, resulting in a few cuts. But she carried on, trying to go in the direction she remembered coming from when she first entered the forest. But slowly her surroundings became less familiar, until she stopped and took a good long look around.

She had no idea where she was.

Then her situation dawned on her, and she realised that if she didn't get home by sunrise then surely there would be De Noirs out to find her. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, as she realised that she could be anywhere, as far as she knew the forest was enormous. And the De Noirs knew every inch of it by heart. A rustling sound from her left distracted her from her thoughts, and she jumped up, aware that there was something else nearby.

Adela squinted out into the dark, but the stars didn't provide very good light and she could only just make out the shapes of the trees. When the rustling sound came again, this time louder, she ran for it.

Only to once again crash into someone.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry it's not that long, still have writers block!**

**Not sure whether i should do a book cover thing.. hmm**

**Please review, if you've got any ideas feel free to tell me! Sorry for the wait, I'll try and be quicker next time!**


	14. A Friend in the Forest

~Chapter 14 - A Friend in the Forest~

The book which Adela had been clutching to her chest slipped from her grip as she stumbled away from the body which she had just crashed into. She lost her footing and fell backwards onto the ground, making a pile of leaves beneath her flutter away, and immediately tried to scramble away, expecting one of the De Noir's guards to be standing in front of her in the dark.

"Oh my Goodness, I'm so sorry!" A feminine voice gasped.

Frowning, Adela looked up to see the person pull down the hood of their cloak to reveal a beautiful face. She had high cheekbones and a strong jaw line, a straight nose and calm blue eyes which contrasted with her wild and curly light brown hair.

Feeling the shock and fear die down, Adela took the hand the woman was extending and stood up, and brushed her now muddy dress off. Then she picked up her book quickly, and held it protectively. "Who on Earth are you?" Adela asked, and then when she realised how rude that sounded she added a smile.

The older woman laughed kindly. "I'm Loveday, dear. Might I ask your name?"

Adela paused for a moment, before deciding that Loveday was safe enough. "I'm Adela… Adela Merryweather, niece of Benjamin Merryweather." She told her, relaxing. Loveday smiled warmly, and then took of her cloak and wrapped it around Adela's shoulders, revealing a plum coloured dress, which complimented her cream skin.

"It's freezing out here, I suggest we go inside." Loveday said, taking Adela's arm and leading her towards a fairly large tree. "This is where I live, Adela." There was an opening in the tree, which Adela gaped at. Loveday chuckled at her expression. "I must say it is quite homely inside, first impressions shouldn't always count." She told Adela, with a laugh.

Raising her eyebrows, Adela smiled and followed Loveday into the little tunnel under the tree. It was quite cool; a house under a tree, but what Adela couldn't understand is why she lived there in the first place. Uncle Benjamin hadn't mentioned any people living literally _in_ the woods.

* * *

><p>Once they were inside, Loveday ushered Adela onto a chair, and sat down as well. Inside, Adela had to admit it was quite nice. There were little lanterns hanging around amongst the few hanging plants, and it was clean and cosy.<p>

"The forest is too dangerous for a girl like you to be out there at night…" Loveday muttered, shaking her head sadly. "Much too dangerous."

"What?" Adela murmured, staring at Loveday through narrowed eyes.

"The shadows, dear. They're everywhere, Gosh if I hadn't found you…"

Adela felt her stomach go queasy. Loveday was not the first to talk about the shadows. Rose had told Adela of how the shadows had grown strong and destroyed her village, killing her family in the process, except her baby, who worked in the De Noir castle but didn't know his mother. At first Adela hadn't believed her, who would? There was a village in Moonacre; Adela had heard Benjamin talk about it. But what happened to Rose was years ago, so the village could have been rebuilt, right?  
>They were silent for a while, both staring off into the distance.<p>

"Now, what is that you have there?" Loveday asked Adela suddenly, her eyes drifting over the book she was clutching.

"Oh." Adela gasped, realizing she was asking about the book 'The Chronicles of Moonacre Valley'. "Well… my father left it to me; I received it before I came here. It seems that… everyone here feels that the events in this story are true…" She trailed off. Loveday smiled warmly, and took the book from her.

"That is because they are true, my dear. Surely you have realised by now?" Loveday sighed. "You're the Moon Princess, we all know it. Even I do, and I live in a _forest_."

Adela sighed, caressing the cover of the book with her finger. "I don't know what to do. I've heard all about these shadows and it just… seems so unreal." She replied, sinking into the chair.

"Adela, believe me, you're special. I'm surprised that Robin and Coeur haven't been after you yet." She said, finishing with a little laugh, which was cut short when she saw the look on Adela's face. "What? You're not telling me that… oh why did I not question why you were out in the forest at such a time. I'm going to kill that little-"

Adela coughed loudly, interrupting Loveday from her ranting. "Why do they want me?"

"The moon pearls. The De Noirs believe that the Merryweather's have stolen it, and it's the same the other way around. This feud has been going on for many moons. Speaking of moons Adela, we don't have many left. Have you read the rest of the book?" Loveday explained, and continued after Adela shook her head. "The very first Moon Princess cursed the pearls, after her bridegroom and father became obsessed with the pearls power. She said at the 5000th moon, the valley will plunge into darkness….unless a pure heart returns and is 'heard' before then. And that pure heart is _you_, Adela."

Adela watched her, taking everything in, trying to keep calm. She _was _the Moon Princess, and it was all up to her to save the valley before they all die. She gave a nervous laugh. "That's not the only problem though, is it? There are the shadows as well!"

Loveday was silent for a while before she answered. "You're right. The Shadows were born when the feud reached its worst point, and a De Noir was killed. It was about 2000 moons ago. There was so much hatred and no love left, and they seemed to be a second curse. They take the life from your soul sometimes killing you. It makes them stronger. The victim never themselves again if they survive, and the kindest thing to do is to let the victim die… the Shadows wreak havoc Adela, they must be stopped. They have been known to destroy whole villages before!" Loveday finished her explanation, and stared intently at Adela, who was sitting with her eyes wide.

"I don't know what to do though Loveday. You have to help me!" Adela cried, standing up in her angst. Loveday stood up as well, and took the younger girl in a warm embrace.

"It will be okay, Adela. You must find the pearls and return them to the sea, but before you do that you must stop the Shadows. And to do that, you need to overpower them… with _love_." She said quietly, letting go of her and holding her by the shoulders. "Now you need to answer my questions. Firstly, what on Earth were you doing in the forest at night?"

Adela began explaining her whole story, the words rushing out of her mouth so quickly that when she had finished, she was out of breath. Loveday stood before her, a shocked expression over her face. She seemed to be taking everything in and registering it, but didn't say anything the whole way through. Then her face turned angry. It reminded Adela of someone, but she just could think of who-

"You're Robin's sister!" She cried out in realization. She remembered now, the day they had run from one of the De Noirs, and ended up in the gardens, after Robin had attempted to fetch a blanket from a room… Loveday's room. "How did I not realise before? He told me… oh my gosh, it's you! You were in love with my uncle Benjamin!" She gasped, shutting up when the woman took a sharp intake of breath.

"Yes, I am a De Noir, daughter of Coeur and sister to Robin. And I forbid you to say _his_ name to me." She said softly, her voice rising when she began speaking about Benjamin. "I think I should take you back now."

* * *

><p>They left the warmth of the underground home, Adela was wrapped up in the maroon cloak, and they trudged through the forest, relying on only the moonlight and Loveday's sense of direction to lead them back to the Merryweather Manor. "I know the forest like the back of my hand." Loveday had assured her, commenting that it was the same with her brother. "We practically grew up here… and it's my home now." She said, laughing dryly.<p>

After about 5 minutes, Adela's eyes had become quite accustom to the dark. She was chatting away with Loveday about what life had been like in London, when she spotted something. Just a little further out into the woods to her left, was something that was giving off a glowing, white light. "What's that?" She murmured, forgetting about her conversation with Loveday and heading off towards it. As she came closer, she noticed that the little things giving off light were what seemed to be flowers.

"Those are Astrid Flowers." Loveday told her, smiling. They used to be rare, but it seemed they had started coming back.

"Wow." Adela breathed, bending down to pick one. She held it in her hands, her grey eyes gazing at the soft, pure white, heart shaped petals. After a moment, she stood up again and followed Loveday, whilst tucking the flower behind her ear.

"I must leave you now." Loveday suddenly said, as glowing yellow lights came into view. She hugged Adela tightly, before turning her in the right direction to the house. "Stay strong, Princess, you can do it." She whispered, and before Adela could even thank her, she was gone.

Shivering slightly, Adela set off at a quick pace towards the house, despite being exhausted. Nerves bubbled in her stomach at the thought of seeing Uncle Benjamin and Ms Heliotrope again. She had missed her Governess terribly. As the manor came into view, the nerves disappeared and were instead replaced with joy. All the lights seemed to be lit, and sitting on the porch, by the door was a sleeping figure.

Suddenly Adela was knocked to the ground, and had the unpleasant feeling of something licking her face. She opened her eyes to come face to face with none other than Wrolf, the massive black dog that she had thought of as scary when she first arrived. He bound away from her, barking excitedly. Adela got up and brushed herself off for the second time that night, and ran towards Uncle Benjamin, who was now stirring in the rocking chair.

He sat up straight suddenly, and his head whipped around, scanning the area. It took him a moment before he noticed Adela, who stood a couple of meters away from him. "Adela?" He said quietly, standing up and squinting.  
>"Hello, Uncle Benjamin." Adela replied, walking forwards.<p>

"Adela!" He cried out, running forwards and engulfing her in a massive hug. His shout must have alerted Ms Heliotrope, as her figure appeared at the now opened door, silhouetted against the bright light coming from inside.

"Oh Adela!" She cried, lifting her skirts so she could run and give the girl a hug too. Digweed followed after, and bowed politely, although his eyes were brimming with tears at the obvious delight of Benjamin and Ms Heliotrope. "Oh my, you're filthy! Come inside, come inside! We must get you bathed and changed and fed," Ms Heliotrope babbled, taking Adela by the arm and rushing her inside, where she was greeted by a rather small man with a slight moustache, wearing an odd hat.

* * *

><p>Ms Heliotrope took her upstairs and began fussing around, preparing a bath and some clean clothes. Adela sat down on her bed, looking around at the room. It had been almost a month since she had last been in there. And although she had only spent one day and night in the manor, with Ms Heliotrope fussing about, and Uncle Benjamin telling her how worried he was (even though she hadn't liked him very much at first, she was definitely relieved to see him) and Digweed asking how she could help, Adela felt like she was finally home.<p>

**A/N: Sorry I keep saying I'll update quickly, but I don't! Very sorry. I hope you like this chapter, I finally introduced Loveday and partly Marmaduke! Please leave a review :)**


	15. A Plan

~Chapter 15 - A Plan~

"Good Morning, Miss!" Digweed greeted, placing a tray of warm croissants on the dining table. Adela sat in her chair, eating everything she could get her hands on. Miss Heliotrope watched in obvious disdain at the girl's terrible manners, but she adored her too much to say anything at that precise moment.

"Morning Digweed!" Adela said, grinning as he buttered a croissant for her and placed it on her already full plate. She had taken a little of everything on offer- a sunny-side-up, a warm and buttered croissant, a small bowl of steaming hot mushroom soup, some French toast, a slice of cheese and a glass of milk and a little plate of warm cookies.

"My Goodness girl, how can you manage to eat all of that?" Benjamin commented, raising his eyebrows at her. She smiled at him and swallowed before replying.

"I have a lot to do today, so I'll need some energy. I think… I think I'm going to go to the village today." Adela told him, her eyes falling on the French doors at the end of the room which lead to the garden. "And I'm going to pick some flowers… may I please do that?"

Benjamin chewed on his French bread, deep in thought. "Very well Adela, I will come with you to the village. Firstly you must be appropriately dressed; Digweed will attend to finding a riding outfit for you. We shall leave at ten thirty." He told her, and then pushed his plate away and left the room.

Excitement fluttering in her stomach, Adela hurried to her room as soon as she had finished eating. Like Uncle Benjamin had said, there was a riding outfit lying on her chair, but she didn't change straight away and instead turned to her dressing table. Just where she had left them were two pieces of parchment, with a dip pen and some ink. Smiling to herself, she sat down and began to write.

_Loveday De Noir_

_When I let you go I realised I had made the biggest mistake of my life…_

* * *

><p>Upon returning from the woods, Adela found Uncle Benjamin feeding a beautiful grey-white pony an apple, his eyebrows furrowed as his eyes re read the swirly writing on the paper he had been given. "Uncle Benjamin, what's wrong?" Adela asked sweetly, rushing forwards to stroke the pony's nose. She had never been allowed to go near the horses in London, as Miss Heliotrope would have had a heart attack.<p>

Uncle Benjamin jumped slightly at her sudden arrival and stuffed the letter into his pocket, and shook his head. "Nothing, my girl. Now, we will be going to the village by horse, I trust you have ridden one before?" When she replied that she hadn't, he raised his eyebrows in disapproval. "Us Merryweathers are keen horse riders, Adela! Here, you may ride Periwinkle as she is very gentle."

Feeling slightly nervous, Adela placed her foot in the stirrup and pushed herself up onto the saddle, at first wondering whether she should ride side saddle but then deciding against it. Miss Heliotrope would not approve, but she was not there to tell her off.

* * *

><p>The countryside was beautiful, with its sloping hills and sparkling dew. She could see a few people out in the fields in the distance, and the village up ahead. She was excited to get there, but had Periwinkle stay at a slow trot, so she could admire the view. They were on a muddy path now, and had to pass through what seemed like a little settlement- but it looked terrible. The houses were mostly covered with black cloth and pegged to the ground, and the wooden carts sold food which was not appealing at all. An old hag scuttled past, cursing the Merryweathers under her breath, whilst a few children dressed in rags with dirt on their cheeks huddled together, watching the two people go by with wide, scared eyes.<p>

"Uncle, what is this?" Adela whispered, shrinking a little under everyone's unwelcoming gaze.

Uncle Benjamin looked shifty, and urged his horse to move a little faster. "They are the Travelling People. Some of them are related to the De Noir's which is why they hate us, and they used to cause trouble in the village."

"But why do they travel if they have family here?" Asked Adela, her curiosity getting the better of her. Benjamin frowned, and hesitated before answering.

"They travel because we banned them from living here. They do not belong, so they live in many places, and come here every few months. They're a nuisance really." He added, and hurried her along towards the village.

Adela could hear the hum of many voices as they drew closer. Little bungalows dotted a winding cobbled lane, which lead to the main square. Benjamin had told her that everyone would be there, as it was a market day. He was right, the streets were busy with people. They were carrying merchandise like jewelry and clothes, all handmade of course. In the main square, tables were set out and the residents became stallholders, making the most of the busyness by calling out what they were selling. The smell of fresh bread wafted past her nose, but her eyes had already been distracted by a table selling various books and a few diaries. She dismounted Periwinkle and left her with Benjamin's horse at a hay stack and hurried over to the stall. She picked up one of the leather diaries, feeling the smooth material. She undid the clasp and flipped through the empty pages, wondering whether Uncle Benjamin would allow her to buy it. Just as she was about to look up to find him, her eyes caught sight of one of the pages. In tiny, slanted writing, a sentence had been written. '_The Pure and the Misunderstood.'_ It read, sending shivers down her spine. It was an odd thing to find, so she put the book down and moved to the next stall.

"ello' there Missus! Would 'ya like a carving of yer' name?" A middle aged man held out a blank carved piece of wood, just the right size to fit on her door. After considering it for a moment she shook her head and said she was just looking, as the pastry stall had caught her attention. She hurried over, the smell bringing on pangs of hunger. There were fruit pies of apple, raspberry, ones topped with fresh strawberries and there were cooked pies too, with lamb, beef and chicken.

"Fancy a pie Miss?" A pretty woman greeted her this time, her blonde hair tied back in a pretty bun. "aven't seen you around, might I say. May I ask your name?" She said, cutting the apple pie into neat slices.

"Adela Merryweather." Adela said, tempted to buy one, even though she had stuffed her face at breakfast earlier.

"Oh!" The woman gasped, straightening up. "Lovely to meet you, Miss Merryweather! I sure didn't know that Mr Merryweather had children! Here, take a slice, free." She gabbled, handing Adela a delicate napkin.

"He is my Uncle, Miss." Adela corrected, refusing to take it free and handing over the few coins that she had brought along. Thanking the stallholder for her generous offer, Adela walked further into the crowds, the satisfying taste of warm apple pie on her tongue. _She has to be here. _She thought to herself, her eyes scanning the unfamiliar faces around her. Suddenly she spotted the woman she had been looking for. Her brown hair was plaited and decorated with little forget-me-nots, and her dress was intricate and very eye catching. Everyone was staring at her, but she had her eyes on someone else.

Benjamin Merryweather strode forwards, and bowed curtly. "Good morning, Miss De Noir." He said, and she greeted him in return. An awkward silence followed, with both looking at each other expectantly. "Well?" He finally said, and she looked at him blankly.

"Well what? You invited me here to apologise." Loveday replied, folding her arms. Benjamin looked insulted, and pulled out his letter.

"I did nothing of the sort! You told me to come here and that you were going to apologise." He retorted, unfolding the letter and waving it at her. Her eyes widened and she unfolded her letter, both written with the same handwriting. "Adela." They sighed simultaneously, and their eyes met.

_There was so much hatred and no love left… You need to overpower them… with love. _Loveday's own words to Adela ran through her head, and she decided to be the better person and get over her pride. "I shouldn't… I shouldn't have lied. I'm sorry." She managed to say, her voice only just audiable.

Benjamin was silent for a moment, his eyes taking in the beauty before him that he hadn't seen in years. "And I shouldn't have gotten angry, I'm sorry for that." He apologized, "You should have never run from me though!" Benjamin added quickly.

"You never looked for me!" Loveday cried, stepping forwards in angst.

"I looked for years." Benjamin sighed, and with that he turned and left, leaving Loveday gazing after him, her heart feeling thumping madly.

Adela sighed, she had almost done it! Watching the graceful woman glide away, she groaned inwardly and followed the brick wall to find her way back to the horses. Benjamin was already there, mounting his horse with a heartbroken expression he was trying to mask. Adela unhooked the rope from the hook and was just about to climb onto Periwinkle when something caught her eye. 5 words were carved into the cobble stone on the floor, just about readable. A shiver ran through her body as the words imprinted into her mind.

_The Pure and the Misunderstood._

**A/N: I'm so sorry for taking so long to update this story! I honestly completely forgot until I got an email about a review, (Adela) thankyou so much! :) And that's awesome, Adela's a lovely name!**


	16. Back to the De Noir Castle

**A/N: Thankyou so much xXFallen-Angel-Of-DarknessXx for letting me know about the wrong update! So sorry:') **

~Chapter 16-Back to the De Noir Castle~

A few days had passed since the visit to the village, and Benjamin had become withdrawn and spent most of his time in the library, only leaving to eat, and he did this in silence. Adela felt terrible. Her attempt at mending Benjamin and Loveday's relationship had not gone to plan, in fact she hadn't expected that result at all.

However this outcome made her much more determined to overthrow the Shadows. She had decided on another plan to find Rose's son. Rose was a servant at the De Noir castle, taken in after the Shadows destroyed her town. Her son was taken to be treated as the family, whilst Rose went on to save many lives when a disease almost killed Robin.

Adela knew that this boy lived in the castle, and that he'd be about fourteen now, the same age as her. She had to get up to the castle first though, which would be the tricky part. She'd need a disguise, and she knew just what to do.

"I will be in the gardens if you need me!" Adela called out as she hurried down the spiraling stairs and left through the main doors, not waiting for an answer. Loveday lived in the middle of the forest under a tree, and had shown Adela the way home when she had escaped from the De Noir Castle. As she walked through the forest, the sentence she had seen at the village kept floating into her mind. The pure and the misunderstood. What did it mean? Was it a clue? Feeling more frustrated than ever, Adela muttered crossly to herself as she ducked under the hollow curve of the tree.

"Loveday, are you here?" She called out, and when a reply came she opened the little wooden door and stepped inside. Loveday was sitting on the floor, holding a baby bird in the palms of her hands.

"The poor thing fell out of its nest. I can't find the nest, so I'm going to have to look after it." She said softly, stroking the feathers delicately. "How may I help you Adela?"

"I… I need to get back into the De Noir castle." Adela said quietly, expecting Loveday to get angry. She had every reason to- Adela had tricked her into seeing Benjamin and now was putting herself in danger, and asking for Loveday's help to do it!

Ever so gently, Loveday laid the bird on a pile of cloth and stood up, her dress gracefully swaying around her. "You're a brave girl, do you know that?" She said, as she made her way over to where she kept her clothes. Folding her arms she seemed to think for a moment, and then pulled out a dark red dress with black detailing, which was just about the right size to fit Adela."This was my favourite dress when I was your age. Wear it and you'll fit right in, but be careful not to show your face, do you understand?" Loveday instructed, handing Adela the dress and smiling sadly. "I'm not angry for what you did. I know its for the good of Moonacre. I'm proud of you, princess."

Adela blushed and hugged Loveday. "Thank you, Loveday. There's just one last thing I need help with. How do I get back in?"

* * *

><p>Adela climbed up the spiraling staircase, her heart thundering in her chest. If someone recognized her, she couldn't escape. Coeur wanted her dead, and he would have his chance. When she reached the balcony, Adela felt along the wall for a notch in the bricks and pulled it, and to her surprise it opened quite easily. Now she was facing the inside of a cupboard, where she had once hidden in with Robin when his Uncle was after them.<p>

The corridor was deserted when Adela left Loveday's old room. She now had to find potential sons of Rose, and she had no idea where or who they would be. The castle was pretty big, they could be anywhere. Sighing, Adela decided to begin with the level she was on, and hurried down the corridor, thanking Loveday silently for the netting which covered her face when a group of large men walked past her.

The red dress was a perfect fit. Adela looked just like a De Noir and nobody seemed to question otherwise. Either they were just too oblivious to anyone but themselves or there were so many people living in the castle that they didn't pay any attention. There were a lot of people about- big burly men who were laughing loudly and spilling pints of beer, small clusters of women who had sharp voices, who hurried about the place. A group of small children ran past, playing tag. They were too young to be Rose's child but they didn't even pay attention to her anyway, except one child. He was very young, probably about five. His dungarees were dirty and his brown hair was a mess of curls- like Robin. He stopped in front of Adela and stared, his doe eyes wide and his mouth hanging open.

"Hello." Adela said quietly, feeling a little awkward. The boy stepped forwards slowly and smiled up at her, before hugging her tightly.

"You're going to save us, aren't you Miss," He chirped, letting her go. Adela swallowed, realizing that she had heard him right. How did he know she was the Moon Princess when countless adults hadn't noticed? Why was he asking her to save them when all De Noirs wanted her dead?

"I… I'm going to try… but.. but you're a De Noir! You're supposed to hate me!" She stuttered, her eyes darting around the empty corridor. Was this a trick? How could she escape again if it was and she was kidnapped?

The boy smiled again, his eyes glistening. "My mama said you would. She says her cousins are wrong. She says that some of her friends agree that you're going to help us. Not every De Noir hates the Merryweathers." With that, he skipped away, looking back at her and waving.

Feeling slightly pressured, Adela carried on through the winding corridors, waiting for some sign of the boys. Just as she turned a corner which lead to the dining hall, she heard voices that were familiar to her.

"I still don't understand how the Princess escaped though!" It was Isaac, one of Robin's friends. He had been the nicest to Adela and was very handsome.

"It was over a week ago now so shut up about it, alright?" Another voice snapped, and they were getting closer. Panicking, Adela pushed open one of the doors behind her and leapt into the room, her heart racing. Could it be one of Robin's friends? It was possible, Rose had said her son wasn't a servant. If it was, how would she find out? Feeling slightly angry with herself, Adela realized she hadn't really thought this through properly. She turned around to face the room she was in- a circular library. It looked really unused, the ladder to reach the higher shelves was dusty and the table looked as if it was about to fall apart. There was another ladder which lead to the second floor seating area, which took up half of the library and seemed like an indoor balcony. The ceiling was very high, and to her surprise was decorated with paintings of the night sky.

"They'll find out sooner or later Robin, what-" A voice jolted her out of her thoughts and Adela turned around to see that two people had entered the room. Robin and Paul stood by the door with shocked expressions.

Robin looked hurt. He frowned at her before slamming the door shut behind him and storming forwards, his dark eyes staring at her as if he was trying to make sure it was really Adela. "What are you doing here?" He hissed, towering over her. "I risked my reputation to save your life. Why did you come back?!"

Adela steadied her breathing and looked at him square in the eye. "So what you're telling me is that all you risked was your reputation? Why are you so angry?!" She argued back, pulling off the ridiculous hat and netting and chucking it away from her.

"No, Princess. If my father found out, the things that could happen to me are endless. My sister lives in the forest, just for seeing a Merryweather. I went completely against his orders to rescue you, don't you understand how terrible that is to a De Noir?" Robin's face was like thunder, his fists clenched with anger. Paul had been forgotten, he stood by the door, bewildered.

"Then why didn't you let him kill me?" Adela cried, her green eyes boring into his. Robin seemed to deflate, his fists unclenching and his eyes softening. He stepped back, and sighed.

"I don't know Princess, I don't know." He told her, and Paul decided to intervene. He coughed loudly and walked forwards, making both of them jump.

Paul was the same age as Adela, however he was quite small. He was skinny with an elf like face and spikey brown hair, and eyes that always sparkled. This time his usual grin was replaced with a serious expression. "If Coeur hears that you're here he'll have you killed on the spot, Moon Princess." He said solemnly, taking a seat on one of the dusty arm chairs. "Robin and I were just about to discuss how we'd stop people finding out, cause I ain't about to be pulled into this mess."

"He's right." Robin said, leaning on the book shelf. "Why are you here Princess? Do you have a death wish?"

Shaking her head, Adela prepared herself to explain, but stopped, noticing something. Paul narrowed his eyes, realizing that she was staring at him. "What?" He asked, and she gasped with happiness.

"Who's your mother, Paul?" She asked, and he shrugged, looking slightly annoyed.

"Dunno, probably just some village woman that one of the men took a fancy to." He said dryly. "And my father's dead. Never met him. What's this got to do with anything?" Adela bit back a knowing smile. Paul thought he was an orphan and knew nothing about his mother. Paul also had friendly blue eyes and light brown hair, as did Rose. Paul was fourteen, Rose had come to the castle when Robin was two… fourteen years ago. Rose's late husband was called Paul.

"It's you!" She cried, and both boys looked at her, dumbfounded.

"Care to explain?" Robin asked, frowning. Adela grinned and told them everything, from when Loveday had found her in the forest and how she had tried to reunite Benjamin and Loveday. She told them about Rose's story how everything fitted together.

Paul shook his head in disbelief, finding this revelation hard to believe. Robin on the other hand looked impressed. "You must meet her Paul, please?" She asked, and still looking shocked, the boy nodded.

* * *

><p>The three of them walked through the castle on the familiar route to the servants' quarters, which Adela had traveled every day when she had been held captive there. Robin was on edge, even though he had said that his father was in his study and wouldn't leave for a long time. Adela noticed now how a few people would smile knowingly when she passed, and it unnerved her. What if they slipped and told someone she was there? What if she couldn't save them?<p>

Rose was slicing carrots when they entered the kitchen. "I told ya' Marie, he wants the barrels outside!" Rose sighed, turning around. Her eyes widened in shock to see the three in front of her, and she put down the knife. "No, no, no. Don't ya' be tellin' me that's Adela now." She muttered, shaking her head and staring at Adela. "It's much too dangerous fer someone of your sorts to be 'ere!" She scolded, but hugged Adela warmly.

"Rose, I'm here to introduce you to Paul." She said gently, and Rose just raised her eyebrows and nodded at the boy.

"What'll it be then, Mister Paul? Mind you, dinner's in an hour." Rose said, not catching on. Adela didn't understand. Why wasn't she realizing that this was her son? Sighing impatiently, Adela decided to just come right out with it.

"He's your son, Rose." She informed her quietly, and Rose stared at her.

"What are ye talkin' about, I ain't got no son!" She muttered, turning back to her chopping. Robin looked uncomfortable and fiddled with the various feathers hanging round his neck, whilst Paul just looked rejected.

"Told you I ain't got a mother." He grumbled to Adela, and turned to leave.

"No wait!" Adela cried, grabbing his arm. "I failed with my first attempt to stop the shadows and it won't happen again. Rose, you told me yourself that fourteen years ago your village got attacked by the shadows, leaving you and your newborn son homeless. Couer De Noir found you and took you in with the agreement that you'd be a servant and your son would be treated as one of them. Well he has been, and he's right here." She said firmly, and was surprised to see that Rose was crying quietly. With fourteen years of not knowing who her son was, she'd convinced herself that she didn't have a child.

Wiping her tears away hastily, she turned to look at Paul. "Hello, son." She said, and the boy unexpectedly ran into her arms and hugged her tightly. Noticing that this was the right time to leave, Adela and Robin walked out of the kitchens.

Adela was grinning from ear to ear as they walked back the way they came, and Robin was trying hard to fight his smile and keep his serious expression. "That was great!" Adela squealed, shutting up quickly when she got weird stares from passersby.

"You can leave before everyone goes to dinner." Robin said quietly, leading her towards the front doors.

Looking hurt, Adela's smile dropped. "You're friend just found his mother, can't you be at least a little happy about that?!" She snapped, following him. They stood by the large doors, neither saying anything. It was oddly quiet.

"I'm glad he's found his mother." Robin said quietly, adverting his gaze. "Look, Princess… what you're doing is really dangerous…" he trailed off, obviously uncomfortable.

"But I'm doing it for Moonacre, and you of all people shouldn't try to discourage me after you convinced me the curse was true!" Adela argued, frustration with the dark haired boy taking over her happiness. "I know it's dangerous but if you don't want to help, then that's fine. I have to do this."

Robin didn't reply. They stood staring at each other for a moment until Adela grumbled angrily and pushed open the doors, only looking back once as she stormed away from the castle. Robin de Noir was standing with his arms folded, watching her. How had he gotten himself into this mess?

**A/N: Aah once again I'm sorry about the slow updates! Not many more chapters left of this story now. Thankyou to the reviewers and please review! :) **


	17. The Little White Horse

~Chapter 17 - The Little White Horse~

Adela was exhausted. The past few days she had spent in her room, resting and reading. She enjoyed reading a lot, and had found that since she had moved to Moonacre she hadn't found as much time to read as she had in London. She supposed life was more exciting in Moonacre, however she was ashamed at her lack of reading as it was one of her favourite past-times and Miss Heliotrope often told her of how books brought wisdom.

Uncle Benjamin's library was wonderful. He was an avid reader himself and was not lacking in any genre of books, something which he was highly proud of. Now she had finally been granted permission to use it, Adela had been in and out constantly, bringing a new book each time, Benjamin had become less withdrawn since the incident in town, and had even lent Adela some new writing paper, after telling her that the paper which she had used to forge letters was of terrible quality.

The food she was given definitely helped regaining Adela's strength. She had no idea why she was so tired and had blamed it on all the scheming and the nonstop worrying she had done. The 5000th moon was drawing closer, and Adela still had to destroy the shadows and find the moon pearls. However, today the moon princesses was intent on finding the kitchens. She had wondered before who the cook was, but Benjamin never gave her an answer. Adela left her room in the afternoon, briefly noticing that the mysterious picture which hung outside her door had appeared again- Benjamin kept removing it. Muttering to herself that she'd had enough of this magic, Adela hurried down the winding stairs and decided that the kitchens had to be on the first floor with the dining room, as that was practical.

Finding the kitchens was turning out to be a difficult task. Wrolfe followed Adela as she wandered the various rooms, keeping by her side and occasionally nudging her with his nose. She trailed the corridors, her hand wandering along the walls, feeling the old peeling wall paper. Then she noticed something. There seemed to be a little frame at the end of the corridor, about the size of the door to her room in the tower. Curious, Adela ran her fingers over the wall, realizing there was a gap. Smiling to herself, Adela pushed it open and ducked through, she had finally found the kitchens.

"Markaduke Scarlett, chef of all chefs. At your service, little princess." A small man with a mustache only a little taller than Adela herself, had popped up in front of her and offered a hand to shake. He was wearing a pointy hat and a ruffled waistcoat, and in his other arm he cradled a bowl. Grinning, she introduced herself and watched, amused as he disappeared with a pop and reappeared by the stove, mixing his bowl gleefully. The kitchen was filled with food of all sorts. Warm bread in baskets dotted the table, meringues and pies and cakes were sitting on every space available. Vines grew along the cracking walls and a little garden to the side was filled with plants and herbs.

"Mr Scarlett, how are you… how are you doing that?" She asked, watching as he buzzed about the place. She had seen many odd things since she had arrived at Moonacre and it was beginning to become the norm.

"My dear, a little bit of magic has come back to Moonacre." He answered, smiling. In a flash he was beside her again, holding a plate of plum pudding. "Here, try this Miss Adela. You need all the strength you can get!" Adela took the plate, breathing in the fruity scent. Plum pudding had been her favourite fruit desert back in London.

"Magic… It seems impossible that someone like me can break the curses." Adela sighed, sitting on one of the wooden chairs and tucking into her slice of pudding. The sweetness filled her with happiness.

Marmaduke watched her, a twinkle in his eye. "Ah but you see Miss Adela, you _are_ the last Moon Princess. I see no need to fret, you're a clever girl. You found me, didn't you?" He assured, picking up a milk pitcher and pouring some milk into a pan.

"But… but how can I be sure? For all we know it could be Loveday or… or…"

Marmaduke appeared beside her and hushed her. Taking her empty plate away he let out a cheerful laugh. "Why, Miss Loveday has already had her chance! My dear we can all feel it." This reassured Adela a little, and she nodded to herself, realizing the importance of her being in Moonacre. "You may have seen a little white horse about the place, invisible to all but a true moon princess." He added, though with this new information, Adela frowned.

"Oh no, then it cannot be me Marmaduke, I haven't seen a little white horse." She sighed, feeling truly disappointed. Marmaduke turned around and smiled knowingly, the little glint back in his twinkling eyes.

"Perhaps, Miss Adela… perhaps you have not looked hard enough."

* * *

><p>The last room Adela came upon was a hall. It wasn't very large, but with its high ceilings and tall windows, Adela decided it would be a beautiful place to hold a ball. Her footsteps echoed around the room as she followed the walls, enchanted by the detail of the pillars. A faint tune could be heard, someone was playing the piano. Miss Heliotrope was in the classroom and Uncle Benjamin was in his study, so who was playing? It was a beautiful but lonely melody, and captivated, Adela went to find the source.<p>

A crumbling room stood before her wide eyes. Dead vines trailed the walls and the dirty windows gave a once magnificent view to the garden. A piano stood, covered in a sheet, at the edge of the rounded room atop some stairs. Hesitantly Adela walked towards it, and pulled the sheet off. She wasn't so surprised to find the piano was playing itself, and sat down, tentatively placing her hands on the keys.

It was as if she knew the song in her heart. Her fingers danced delicately along the piano, and the beautiful melody sounded more complete. It was a duet, Adela thought, noticing a large painting of a pot of flowers in a room leaning against the wall. On a second glance Adela realized it was gleaming, and looking again she saw it was a mirror. Leaving the piano she wandered over, watching as a scene came alive before her eyes.

_It was Loveday and Benjamin, and they were dancing, whirling and laughing about the room. They were to get married, Loveday was wearing her wedding dress, and she looked breathtaking. Smiling, Adela watched them, admiring the many pink flowers which decorated the room. But suddenly, things took a turn for the worse. _

_"I'm not who you think I am." Loveday said, completely serious. The overjoyed look on Benjamin's face began to falter. "I'm a De Noir." She finished, and he looked horrified._

_"A De Noir?" He repeated, staring at her as if she was alien to him. _

_Loveday noticed this and desperately tried to explain, stepping forwards. "I was brought up to despise the Merryweathers but then I met you and… and that changed everything!" She stammered, but Benjamin only stepped backwards, looking heart broken. _

_He let out a gasp and stared at her. "You tricked me." He breathed._

_"No!" Loveday cried, _

_"You pretended to love me, but all this time you were plotting behind my back trying to find those ridiculous pearls!" Benjamin shouted, his face a picture of pure rage as he ignored her cries. He lifted a plant and smashed it before her feet. "It was your father that sent you, wasn't it." _

_"No! By marrying you I've lost his love forever!" Loveday admitted. "But Benjamin don't you see? Our love could bring our families back together! It could put an end to this dreadful curse!"_

_Benjamin had seemed to calm down, but at the mention of the curse that hung over Moonacre his began to get angry again. "Oh don't give me that nonsense. And you filled this house with your De Noir flowers!" He yelled, his voice raising. With that he picked up a larger potted plant and stood to hurl it out of the window, only pausing when he heard Loveday's heartbroken sobs._

_"You don't understand! Doesn't love change everything?" Loveday stood, defeated, tears rolling down her cheeks. Benjamin took one look at her, softening again._

_"No my dear, but hate does." He answered, and as she crumbled and ran from the room, he hurled the plant out of the window._

"That song is called the love waltz." A voice broke Adela away from the mirror, and her heart hammering she turned around, the surprise of realizing that she had just witnessed the past through a mirror still consuming her mind. Loveday sat at the piano, looking sadly around the lifeless room.

"How did you get in…?" Adela questioned, walking towards the older woman. Loveday stood and hugged Adela tightly, before smiling.

"There's a secret passageway in your room. Come." She offered a hand which Adela took, and the two walked back upstairs and into Adela's room, and Adela didn't fail to notice that the painting was still outside her room. "This dress belonged to the very first moon princess." Loveday sighed happily, holding up a gorgeous deep red dress. It was long and flowing, with wide sleeves and a material extremely soft. Smiling, Adela took it and held it before her. It would fit perfectly.

"Loveday, I'm not sure what else I should do to bring love back to Moonacre." Adela said, sitting down at her desk and sighing. "I'm worried that it's too late and-"

"Hush child." Loveday said soothingly, sitting down next to her. "I believe that something must be done about the travelers near the village. Perhaps you could think about that." Adela nodded, remembering the visit she had made to the village with Benjamin. There had been a settlement of makeshift houses not too far between the De Noir castle and the village, and they were banned from permanently living in Moonacre Valley.

"I suppose so, yes." Adela agreed. "That reminds me of something I kept seeing a week ago, on my visit to the village." She felt Loveday tense beside her, and remembered that it was also the day when she had tried to unite Loveday with Benjamin, and it hadn't gone very well. "I saw this sentence, it was in a book and on a stone… I think it has to do with the shadows." She muttered, the sight of it flashing through her mind.

"What was the sentence?" Loveday asked patiently.

"The pure and the misunderstood." It seemed much less daunting now Adela had said it out loud, and she turned to look at Loveday who was frowning. The woman got up and beckoned for Adela to follow her. She went to the mirror sitting on Adela's dressing table. She was muttering under her breath, and as she did so a picture began forming on the mirrors surface, flickering and swirling.

It was the forest, dark and mysterious. A girl with long flowing brown hair was aimlessly wandering through the trees, it seemed as if she was almost glowing. Next to her padded a large black lion, his mane stirring softly in the breeze, on the other side trotted a gorgeous white horse. The girl turned and Adela's eyes met with her own green ones, sparkling and full of magic. The picture dissolved and reformed, but this time they were travelling through gloomy, deserted corridors, and echoes of voices could be heard.  
>"Traitor!"<p>

"Scared of your old man?"

"Then why didn't you let him kill me?!"

"I don't know Princess, I don't know."

"Not every De Noir hates the Merryweathers."

"Where do you think you're going? To your… Princess?"

In a flash it was all gone, and Adela was left staring at her own reflection, her eyes wide and her skin pale. "I'm the pure?" She whispered, and Loveday nodded, rolling her eyes at herself.

"I don't see why I didn't get it before. I think I have a pretty good idea of who the misunderstood is too." She smiled knowingly, and turned to Adela, who was trying to get her head around everything. Firstly, mirrors could be used to see visions. Secondly, not only did she have to find the moon pearls, but now she was the 'pure' one and her part in destroying the shadows was major. "It's Robin." Loveday said.

"What?"

"My brother Robin is the misunderstood." Loveday explained, taking Adela's hand and sitting her down at the desk. Adela groaned inwardly. She remembered briefly hearing a conversation between herself and Robin in the vision. How on earth would she be able to break the curses with the likes of Robin? She had to admit that he had grown on her, but it was plain that he didn't want any more to do with stopping the curse. He was an arrogant, pride-filled boy who was not to mention a De Noir!

That was it. Snapping out of her thoughts, Adela realized that she understood. It was pride that kept these curses alive, it was pride that would doom them all. Loveday and Benjamin would not talk because of their pride. The two families would not stop their feud because of pride. Her father would not borrow money from Benjamin because of his pride. And if she wanted to stop the valley being plunged into eternal darkness, she'd have to get over her own pride first. "Loveday, how long do we have until the 5000th moon?" Adela asked, pulling out the new paper Benjamin had given her, and she picked up one of her information books. Together they calculated the precise number of moons that had passed since the curse had been set on Moonacre, until they were left with a number. "4999." Adela whispered, and it hit her. The very next moon would be the last, the one to destroy the whole valley.

"Adela, you only have three days left." Loveday gasped, taking the girl's hand. Feeling the fear return to her, Adela gulped and shut the book she had in front of her. She had three days left to sort things out with the travelers, to destroy the shadows, to find the pearls and to be 'heard'. Feeling overwhelmed, Adela stood up and slowly walked to the window, trying to process everything.

It was getting dark, and a few lanterns had been lit outside, giving an eerie glow to the lonely grounds. A fountain stood in the middle of tall grass, completely silent. The water around it was murky and dull, and part of the statue had crumbled. In the distance Adela could see the glowing lights from the De Noir castle, looking intimidating from its spot on a hill. Adela's eyes moved back to the fountain, and she sighed and turned, but something caught her eye.

Looking back, Adela's eyes widened as a pure white horse with a thin horn galloped across the garden, and disappeared into the wind.

**A/N: I'm getting back into this story so I'm going to try and get in a lot more updates now! For the previous chapter I had accidently uploaded the wrong story, so go have a look because I've put the right chapter in :) Thankyou for reading so far and please leave a review telling me if you like it or not, and what needs improving or any ideas! :)**


	18. A Silent Pact

~Chapter 18-A Silent Pact~

Adela knew exactly what to do. She had spent the morning rereading the Chronicles of Moonacre, determined that there was some sort of clue in the swirling writing. Before long she realized that the De Noir's had taken the casket and the Merryweathers had taken the key. It was pretty obvious to her of where to go from there. The De Noir's had the pearls, how could they not? Sir Merryweather wouldn't have taken the key if he had already gotten his hands on the pearls- there would have been no need. They key was tucked into the leather buckle of the book, and feeling proud, Adela had tucked it into the ribbon that circled her waist for safe-keeping.

Feeling quite nervous, Adela had left the Manor with the excuse that she was going to walk through the gardens, as Benjamin was becoming increasingly suspicious throughout the week, especially when he had caught her reading the book at the piano before breakfast, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the piano was playing itself. Why hadn't she questioned him yet?

Miss Heliotrope had been recently entranced with the wonders of the manor's old library. She had found an interest in reading French novels, much to Adela's distaste. Though she admitted it was a beautiful language, her long lessons each day with Miss Heliotrope were one of the most boring things she had to do, especially now she had more exciting things on her mind.

The De Noir castle was more than a mile walk from Merryweather manor. Pulling her shawl around her shoulders more smugly, Adela started the trek, beginning to form an idea of what she would do when she got there. She actually had no idea. She was kidding herself that somehow she'd negotiate a way for the travelers to stay in Moonacre Valley and keep Uncle Benjamin happy, but deep down she knew that would be almost impossible. She was a Merryweather after all and the travelers sympathized with the De Noirs, she would be lucky to even get out of there unhurt. It was worth a try however, with the full moon looming closer.

Tiny rays of sunlight peeped through the canopy of leaves above them, giving the feel that everything was softly sparkling. Bursts of magical birdsong broke the silence occasionally, and Adela realized that back in London there was never this much beauty to be found.

If she were in London she'd be taking a stroll in the park or sitting at the dining table reciting French with Miss Heliotrope, or writing a letter to her father with hopes that maybe this time he'd find time to reply. Of course he barely ever did, and Adela saw now how much Miss Heliotrope had tried to fill up the gaping hole caused by the absence of her two parents.

Taking a stroll in the park seemed boring now to Adela. Madeline would be horrified she thought, if she knew that her best friend would rather explore the exciting forest. Everything was new and there was always something she hadn't seen before, whereas in London the most peace she would get was if she sat at her balcony overlooking the gardens. Even then she could still hear the sound of people on the main roads. It only died down at night, but she hadn't been allowed to go out at night without an escort. It was far too dangerous apparently, but Adela had faced things she was sure were worse in Moonacre than anything in London.

Adela's thoughts were interrupted when she was forcefully tugged backwards, and letting out a loud yelp she fell and landed uncomfortably on the leafy ground. She sat dazed for a few moments, noticing the silence around her. The birds had stopped singing. Adela rolled her eyes and pushed herself off the ground, only to topple back down again, this time to land on something extremely sharp. Cursing quietly even though no one was around to hear her, Adela shifted around slightly to see a metal claw shaped trap caught on her dress. It had caused three long rips at the bottom and as she tugged at it, was not budging.

The throbbing pain in her calf was not disappearing, and damning the De Noirs and their stupid traps in her mind, Adela sat back in defeat. This was Merryweather land, traps from the De Noirs were a definitely not allowed. She was all too ready to tell Uncle Benjamin, but realized what the consequences for her and the valley would be.

"Well, well, well. I never expected to see this sight." An arrogant, mocking voice floated out from the trees behind her, making Adela jolt slightly in shock. Robin casually walked around to face her, his arms folded and an amused smile crossing his face.

"You're not funny, bird boy." Adela grumbled, looking away, fighting off the urge to wince as the stinging in her leg worsened. "Your family's traps shouldn't be here, I have every right to tell Uncle Benjamin." She threatened, feeling slightly childish.

"Sadly for you princess, as much as I'd love to take credit for this, it's not our trap." He told her, crouching down and fiddling with the trap, his eyes flickering back to hers occasionally.

With a crack, the metal claws opened, freeing Adela's dress. Adela stood up, patted down her blue dress and made to storm away, only to stumble when her wounded leg gave away. "Pathetic trap really. It's so obvious that anything could see it…" He was saying, holding it up and shaking his head. Adela took a deep breath to prevent herself from screaming at him. Robin sauntered over, untying the red cloth he had around his neck. "You've got to put pressure on it to stop it from bleeding." He told her, his voice gentle this time.

Adela stared at him for a moment, and then decided he was safe enough. Hadn't he already saved her life before? She bent down and lifted her skirts slightly to show a deep cut above her ankle. She swallowed hard, feeling the stinging sensation worsen. She was embarrassed to seem so weak, but having never injured herself in the cosy lifestyle she had in London, this was new to her and quite scary to be honest.

Kneeling down, Robin wrapped the cloth around her cut a few times and knotted it, before standing up and looking slightly awkward. He had come out to check the De Noir traps and had found himself wandering towards Merryweather Manor, much to his surprise. Feeling a surge of gratefulness for nobody being with him, Robin was heading back to De Noir land when he heard a cry, and curiosity had gotten the better of him.

"Thankyou." Adela said curtly, and began limping in the direction she had been heading before. Robin watched her go for a moment, before catching up.

"Might I ask where you're off to, Princess?" He questioned, and she gave him a look of distaste.

"To save the valley, of course. I know you De Noirs have the pearls and if they aren't returned, we're all doomed." She said, earning a loud laugh from Robin.

"I think you're mistaken there, Princess. We don't have the pearls. They're hidden in the Merryweather manor. Sir Wrolf Merryweather stole them all those years ago." He replied, glancing at her expression. She looked frustrated.

"Robin, you didn't want to help me before so I'd appreciate it if you left. Your claims are false as we have the key. Why would we take the key if we had the pearls? So there." Adela told him, folding her arms with a stubborn expression.

Robin considered this, realizing she was probably right. But he knew for sure that the De Noirs didn't have the pearls, so where were they? Either way he couldn't let her go back to the castle, it would be the end of both of them, and then the valley. He frowned, and then ignoring as much of his stubborn pride as he could, stopped walking. "You're right, your family don't have the pearls, but so am I. I know for sure that we do not have the pearls, or my Father would have used them to his advantage long ago. The reason he wants you captured is so the pearls will never be found and the valley will plunge into darkness, this being my father's victory. I promise you Adela, going to the castle will get you nowhere."

Adela's heart sank at every word as she felt her grasp on the moon pearls slip away. Everything Robin had said made sense, and she knew he was right. Nodding slowly, she smiled sadly at him. "The valley's curse is pride and hatred. The least we can do for now is stop the hatred between the travelers and my Uncle." She said softly, before turning and beginning to walk again, her pace seemingly more determined now.

Robin felt relief wash over him and smiled to himself slightly, before walking beside her again.

* * *

><p>"The travelers like compromise, but you've got to be in control." Robin advised, becoming more guarded as the forest merged into De Noir land. "Don't take no for an answer, there's always a way round what they want." His eyes flickered at every sound, his hand grasping the knife hidden in his belt.<p>

Adela pretended not to notice how tense he was, it only highlighted how dangerous the De Noirs were if the heir to the clan was fearful of his own family. She couldn't imagine them all being so bad, especially after the encounter with the little boy who told her that there were some De Noir's who supported the Moon Princess. "We have two days, not counting this one." Adela told him suddenly, causing the boy to flinch. "I know it seems impossible but that's the reality."

"Two days to find the pearls? We have no idea where they could be!" Adela obviously hadn't said the right thing, as Robin's eyes had widened with shock.

"Well we're stopping the hatred now, aren't we? That's the Shadows gone, and-" Adela was cut short by a freezing gust of wind that seemed to travel right through her, clenching at her bones and leaving with a shiver.

Robin had obviously felt it too as he stopped in his tracks, and shook his head at her. "They know what we're doing, Princess. Don't say their name." He said quietly, before continuing to lead the way to the travelers. They had reached the edge of the forest now and before them lay a sloping hill of green grass, dotted with daises. Stood at the top of the hill she could see not too far away the tents and caravans that were set out in a surprisingly ordered fashion. "I used to come here a lot when I was a kid." He then told her, his eyes fixed on the people who were milling around.

"With your parents?" Adela asked, watching him from the corner of her eye. He was adjusting his hat uncomfortably as his eyes skimmed over the settlement. Shaking his head, he was silent for a moment.

"No. With my father when he went hunting. My mother died when I was born." He said, his voice steady and unemotional. It was as if he had complete control over how he felt and he had pushed away all feelings of grief and sadness. Then he suddenly started descending down the grassy hill, beckoning for her to follow.

"I'm sorry." Adela sighed, she understood how if felt, losing a parent. She also figured that the lack of a mother in his life had caused him to be so hostile and cold, and suddenly she felt sorry for the boy in leather. "My parents died too. That's why I was sent here, as Uncle Benjamin was kind enough to take Miss Heliotrope and I in."

"I saw you that day at the funeral." Robin remembered, turning to her. "I never figured it was..." He grew quiet again, and gave her an apologetic smile.

"Robin… what if you father finds out that you're helping me?" Adela asked him quietly, nerves beginning to build up in her stomach as they came nearer to the busy area.

Picking up the pace, Robin didn't look at her this time when he spoke. "Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself Princess." He said, and although Adela believed him she couldn't help but feel a little scared that Coeur would find out, and knowing what he was capable of, the bird boy was putting a lot at risk by helping her.

The smell of cooking meat hung in the air as Adela and Robin stood before the temporary settlement made by the Travelers. Black tents were hooked to the ground and makeshift houses had been put together, whilst wooden carts carrying food and hand-made items were being pushed along the mud track. Robin seemed to straighten up fully and he kept close to Adela, guiding her towards one tent that seemed to be slightly larger than the others. Sitting outside it on a little wooden chair was an old lady, small and frail. She blinked up at the two teenagers and scowled as her eyes combed over Adela's face. "A Merryweather, how dare you come here." She hissed, standing up. Her back was bent over and her teeth were mostly missing, and slightly intimidated, Adela shifted away. "And a De Noir! You traitor, having an acquaintance with the likes of the cursed. They'll be the death of us all, damn you both!" She was cursing now, shaking her head at the two.

Robin stood patiently, a bored expression on his face. When she stopped ranting and frowned at him, he opened his mouth to talk. "I'd like to speak to Jack." He said curtly, before pushing aside the tent door and holding it for Adela to pass through. Inside the tent was a surprisingly big table. It was surrounded by chairs of which only a few were occupied, and the skeleton head and antlers of a deer had been placed on a small stool. As they entered a large man stood, pushing his alcohol away as he did so. He was bigger than Coeur but had a less sinister look about him with his lack of hair and massive hands.

"Robin my boy! Why, it's been years ain't it!" He bellowed, patting Robin on the back. Robin grinned this time, a full on smile that she had never seen from him.

"I know, it's been much too long. I'm here on negotiation terms though, Jack." Robin stepped to the side and gestured for Adela to come forwards, which she did tentatively. "This is Adela Merryweather."

Jack's face showed no emotion, but around them the few men that sat at the table stood up in horror, their chairs scraping along the ground. They yelled out in anger, only silencing when Jack held up his hand. "s'a bold move, bringing one of them here." Jack growled, his eyes boring into Adela. "The curse is still upon this valley, is it not? Why are you, a De Noir, associating with likes of her?"

Robin didn't seem fazed by the threatening tone in Jack's voice, though Adela supposed he was used to being threatened by his father. "We've come to negotiate your agreement with Sir Benjamin Merryweather." Robin said simply, though his stance was assertive and he did not waver though Jack was a good foot taller than him.

The sound of Jack's fist slamming onto the table beside him was enough to frighten Adela. Feeling her heart hammering inside her chest she watched as the men around Jack began grumbling again, no doubt insulting her uncle. "Don't you mention that pig to me. He banished us! We barely live on nothing thanks to him. Them goats we got out there ain't enough to feed us all Robin!" Jack roared, seemingly having forgotten that Adela was there.

Plucking up her courage Adela stepped forwards before Robin could reply. "Sir, I'd like to talk about changing those terms." She told him, feeling a little surge of pride when her voice came out as confident and he turned to look at her.

Robin's eyes grew wide and he turned to look at her, whilst Jack just stared. His glare had gone and had been replaced with a look of complete and utter sadness. Robin looked as if he'd seen a pig fly, and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"You look just like my… my late daughter." Jack said softly, and shook his head fiercely. This sudden revelation seemed to have had an effect on his thoughts. "Right, what are these changes you propose? Only you can talk about this however, it ain't got nothing to do with you Robin, I'm afraid." And then he offered for the two to sit down and poured Robin a mug of beer. Robin drank from it gratefully whilst Adela composed herself to seem professional.

"I'd like to… remove the ban that my Uncle created. On one condition however. You mustn't steal, fight, destroy property or cause any trouble." Adela told him, her eyes flickering to Robin who nodded slowly in approval.

"I cannot be held responsible for what my people do." Jack growled. "We _will _be able to build homes on the land, yes?"

Adela nodded quickly. "Yes. Only if a system of discipline is formed. You must have punishments for any crimes committed so this agreement will work." Jack reached out a hand for her to shake and she took it, feeling extremely satisfied. "You must also keep your traps further away from Merryweather land however, I had the unfortunate experience of being caught in one." Adela remembered then the cut on her leg and realized she had forgotten about it for the whole afternoon.

"Very well Miss Merryweather, I believe we have ourselves a deal. I hope you know what you're doing though, Robin." Jack smiled, standing up and stretching. Robin joined him and gave the bigger man a friendly pat on the back before leading Adela out of the tent.

"That was perfect!" Adela grinned, almost skipping as they left the settlement. Robin couldn't help but smile slightly at their triumph, it had gone well. They walked in comfortable silence back to Merryweather land, only discussing possible places that the pearls could be. "Thankyou Robin." Adela suddenly said, smiling at him genuinely. He returned the smile, it was an uncommon feeling for him, the feeling of being appreciated.

As he turned to leave Robin knew he had somehow made an unspoken pact to help the Moon Princess in any way he could, and somehow he had to go through with it, despite the guilt at being a traitor eating away at him inside. So as he trailed back through the darkening forest he took a large hare from a trap and prepared his excuses for being away for the afternoon. Although his father thought he was pathetic and did not appreciate him at all, he'd never think for one moment that his only son would betray him. It was unthinkable that a De Noir would do such a thing. But Loveday had, so why would Robin not be a 'traitor' too?

**A/N: Aaaah I'm really sorry once again! The action in this story is starting to pick up again, and I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please leave a review with your opinions, advice, anything you like/dislike and any ideas if you want! Thankyou so much :)**


	19. Finding the Pearls

~Chapter 19-Finding the Pearls~

Soon came the day when the 5000th moon would rise and plunge the valley into darkness. Adela had slept badly all night, her dreams plagued with visions of the valley going to ruins, being chased through the forest, and plummeting into the depths of a dark and stormy ocean. When she finally awoke and rid herself of the haunting dreams, the sinking feeling appeared in her stomach. She had no luck finding the pearls the day before, it just seemed impossible.

Dragging herself out of bed, Adela wished with all her might that it was all just a dream. But she knew it was not and if she didn't find the pearls they'd all die. That was the truth and it was harsh. So Adela took a deep breath before changing into the beautiful dress Loveday had brought her. It was a deep red colour with a square neckline and wide sleeves, and had belonged to the very first Moon Princess. Just standing there Adela could almost feel the magic tingling within her.

Taking one last look around her bedroom, Adela admired the beauty of the mural. It was definitely Moonacre Valley, in one corner she noticed that the Merryweather Manor had been painted, and there was also the village and the De Noir Castle. Something else caught her attention. By her fireplace large cliffs had been painted, with the sea crashing against the bottom. There seemed to be a theatre carved out at the top, at the level of the forest. A theatre that looked strangely like the one in the story book, where the Moon Princess had her wedding.

That was where she needed to go. Once she had found the pearls she would find the stone theatre and return the pearls to the ocean, their rightful home. Adela only hoped she could save the valley in time. She drank the milk and ate the cookies left on her bedside table, seeing that she had no time to waste, so she wouldn't be going down to breakfast. Hopefully Miss Heliotrope and Uncle Benjamin wouldn't come to get her only to find that she was gone. Looking out the window to the forest, Adela's gaze fell upon the magical white unicorn that galloped through the crumbling wall into the trees. It stopped once beyond the wall and looked back, indicating that was where she had to go.

The painting of the first Moon Princess was still hung outside her bedroom, despite the many times Digweed had removed it upon Benjamin's request. She stared, transfixed for a moment. The first Moon Princess was beautiful and had a lot of resemblance to Loveday. She was smiling at Adela, and in her hand she held the shining pearls. She beckoned her forwards to the forest, where she turned to the side to reveal a thick tree with a large hollow entrance that sloped into the ground.  
>Suddenly the painting was still again, leaving Adela bewildered. The Moon Princess had shown her where to look. A small smile appeared across her face and Adela left down the spiraling stairs, hoping that neither of her guardians would be awake to hear her leave.<p>

* * *

><p>A few hours later when Loveday pushed the secret door open to Adela's tower room, she smiled to see the girl hadn't woken yet. Standing up straight however, Loveday noticed that the lump under the duvet seemed slightly small for a girl of Adela's age. Storming forwards she ripped the duvet away to find the bed empty, with no trace of Adela. "Oh Adela!" Loveday whispered, terror for the girl filling her heart. She'd gone to find the pearls already.<p>

The dilemma of what to do was battling inside of Loveday. She could go and find the girl herself, but it would be very difficult due to the size of the forest. She could face Benjamin and tell him, though the thought sent her heart beating terribly fast. But it was Adela's life at risk here, and knowing that the 5000th moon would rise that night, Loveday had a very good suspicion that the De Noirs would be after her too. Breathing in deeply, Loveday opened the tiny door and stepped through, ready to see the man she had run away from thirteen years ago.

* * *

><p>Robin sprinted through the forest, dodging trees and leaping over fallen branches. He had to find Adela. His father had gathered all his men early that morning with the deadly mission of finding the Moon Princess, and should anyone fail to help there would be consequences. Having ditched his friends thanks to Paul's help, Robin was now searching the forests desperately for her.<p>

Trees passed by him like wind and the dark figures of his clan appeared briefly in the corners of his eyes but they had no idea that the Coeur's son was a betrayal, nor could they do anything to stop the boy. He found himself skidding to a halt when he reached the familiar clearing where he first caught Adela. Catching his breath for a moment he looked around, feeling stupid at the hope that Adela would appear through the trees, safe. Feeling a little sick at the thought of his family's intentions, Robin straightened up and was about to set off again when the sound of his name made him stop in his tracks.

Spinning around he caught sight of the girl running down the hill, her brown hair was messy and her face was flushed but she was alive. "Princess you're… you're okay!" He gasped, wondering how on earth his clan hadn't caught her yet. They had been out for almost an hour and there was only one of her whilst there was at least fifteen men.

"I'm fine Robin, are you?" Adela asked softly, gasping happily as she heard a familiar bark and turned around to see Wrolf bounding down the hill towards them. As much as Robin hated the demon dog he was a little relieved to know that there was two looking out for the Princess instead of one. "Robin we need to find the pearls now. They're in a tree… the first moon Princess showed me! It's hollow and it has massive roots and there's not many trees around it…" She listed, painting a faint picture in his mind of somewhere Robin slightly recognized.

"Okay, I know where we need to go." Was all Robin needed to say before they set off, in search of the pearls that would decide their fate.

Every sound caught Robin's attention. Every cry of a bird made him flinch and every time there was a rustling of leaves not caused by them he would grab his knife. The De Noirs were out to get Adela, and they wouldn't just keep her prisoner this time. Her heart hammered behind her chest, but if she reached down and ran her hands through Wrolf's jet black fur or looked up at Robin's determined face, she felt a little safer than she did when she was running through the forest alone. It was terrifying how somewhere that once looked so welcoming could become a place of constant fright.

Rushing up slopes and through bushes meant there was no time for talking. Soon they slowed to a walk when Robin noticed Adela was getting tired, not to mention her long dress was a nuisance for her to hold above her boots constantly. She was now walking ahead of Robin, who feared someone would appear from behind, although he never said anything.

* * *

><p>Adela was growing progressively doubtful about finding the pearls. They had been walking for half an hour now, luckily with no encounters with the De Noirs. But no other Moon Princess had found the moon pearls, so how would she? Perhaps she was destined to fail everyone as did her father. But as Adela noticed the tiny flowers that grew at the roots of trees and the burrows that were home to rabbits, the thought of this beautiful forest and everything that lived in it being destroyed spurred her on. She had to find the pearls, it was her destiny.<p>

"We're almost there." Robin said, catching up with her. He pointed ahead to where the ground rose a little and at the top stood a majestic tree, its branches spreading out above her. Grinning, Adela rushed towards it, jumping slightly when she heard shouts. "Where's Wrolf?!" She suddenly cried, turning to Robin who looked alarmed. The loyal dog was nowhere to be seen. There was a crash as two men tumbled through the undergrowth not too far away from them.

Robin dashed forwards her, grabbing her wrist and dragging her into the opening at the bottom of the tree, before they were spotted. "They know where we are." He said quietly, mostly to himself, feeling as if he had let the Princess down.

She only smiled at him, her eyes guiding his to a small wooden door that was lodged into the ground in front of them. Curiosity fueling them both on they pushed it open to reveal a dark, dusty room. "She must have lived here." Adela whispered, ignoring the banging behind them. Robin nodded, realizing that she was referring to the original Moon Princess. It was a magical room although small, with a bed covered in dusty sheets, a table carved from wood that held dusty pots and a statue of a bodice of a beautiful woman stood above the bed. Moss clung to the knotted roots above them, where little gaps let in glimmers of light.

It was haunting to think that someone as wonderful as the Moon Princess once lived in a room under a tree, Robin thought. It was much like his dear sister Loveday, though she lived in the forest due to the actions of Adela's idiot of an Uncle.

Adela was walking around in a daze, her hand lightly touching everything she looked at. When she reached the bodice her eyes widened as she noticed something she hadn't before. The woman was wearing a stone string of pearls around her neck. "Robin…" She gasped, reaching up to grasp the pearls that seemed to come alive in her hands. They glowed and gleamed as she held them, her heart filling up with so much joy. Robin caught sight of them, his eyes widening with surprise. He stared, not with greed and selfishness that the men of the Moon Princess' family did, but he stared at them with appreciation of their beauty and power.

A louder bang startled them both, and Robin sprang into action and held the door closed whilst Adela looked for another way out. "Here!" She cried, pulling down a handle in the shape of a horse, much like the one that was in her room. A smaller door opened and they dived through, only to find themselves in a tunnel which seemed to be carved through rocks. The light from the pearls guided them forwards through the twisting pathways. Then the horse appeared, glowing white. It trotted forwards and took the pathway to the left, disappearing as it reached the light. "She's showing us where to go." Adela mentioned, and smiling, Adela followed it.

* * *

><p>When they climbed out of the tunnels, Adela noticed how the sun was no longer shining as bright, and dark shadows were cast across the leafy ground. Robin immediately took lead, trying to figure out where they were.<p>

_The last Moon Princess will fall… _Adela stiffened, feeling the iciest of chills run through her. "Did you hear that?" She asked, glancing at him. She seemed to have caught his attention and assumed that he hadn't heard it.

_The traitor shall betray her…_

"Robin." Adela yelped, but he looked just as startled as she did.

"I heard _that_." He said quietly, avoiding her gaze.

Adela shivered, her instincts telling her that it was the Shadows. "They know, Robin." She cried softly. "They're coming for us." Robin shook his head, unsure of what to think. "We have to stop them, now." Adela said certainly, trying her best to muster some courage. Grabbing his hand, she turned him towards her. He was cold despite all the running. Holding the pearls between them, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"I am Adela Merryweather, the pure heart and the last Moon Princess. I summon the Shadows forth to hear me speak." Adela cried out. There was a gush of wind that seemed to slice through her body, and suddenly it was cold. The air was still and the atmosphere had grown dark and gloomy. The Shadows were listening.

**A/N: I am so terrible at updating :( Almost finished now, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) Thankyou for the really lovely reviews, I appreciate them so much.**


	20. Removing the Curses

~Chapter 20 - Removing the Curses~

"You have terrorized the valley for far too long!" Adela said quietly, her grip on the moon pearls tightening as the cold winds seemed to rise from the grounds and shoot up into the air, fiercely ruffling the half bare trees. The shadows were trying to frighten her, and in all honestly it was working. Robin looked unnerved but he stood his ground. "You have killed! You have destroyed! And this valley shall suffer under your wrath no longer!"

With that, the Shadows seemed to take the threat seriously. Dark shapes began to form around the pair, appearing and disappearing, swarming like a hive of angry bees. The wind picked up again, howling and crying out as if it was in pain. "I, Adela Merriweather am the Pure and I stand by Robin De Noir, the misunderstood!" At this declaration the Shadows' fury increased. Robin's eyes were wide in contrast to his face which was void of emotion. He had no idea what was going on, but Adela understood. She was the pure- the pure heart that would save Moonacre, the Moon Princess. Robin was the misunderstood, a boy born into a clan where hatred ruled, a boy who did not know where his loyalties lay.

The Shadows knew this too. They knew that the hatred they feasted on for hundreds of years would vanish if the Moon Princess were to fulfill her potential. The moon pearls were glowing, a painful experience for the Shadows as it was a soft light of hope. They were strong however.

The wind was at its strongest now, encircling the two in its grasp. Ghostly faces formed and dissolved around them, hands reaching inwards. Their cries were barely audible but Robin could hear them, and he had gone stark white. It was as if something had dove into him and thrown out the caring and protective boy she had begun to know. He was nothing but a shell and it was scaring her. "With the power of the Moon Pearls I hereby banish you forever!" Adela cried out finally, and suddenly it all stopped. The wind grew silent and everything was still. Adela dropped to the floor from the sudden halt and sat there, out of breath. Robin however still had the haunted look and his eyes darted around for a split second as he muttered to himself, shaking his head. "Robin?" Adela whispered, watching him. It was as if he couldn't see her, and in a split second he had vanished, the sound of his footfalls as he ran through the undergrowth the last signs of him.

Adela sat, unable to comprehend what had just happened. The Shadows were gone, but so was Robin. He'd disappeared, run away, and abandoned her. Why? He had been so loyal, he had rescued her from his own family, gone against their values to help her save the valley. With a sickening blow Adela realised he had come to his senses and gone back to his family. She'd have to do this alone, without the comfort of the curly haired bird boy protecting her. She had Wrolf, or so she thought. The shaggy dog was nowhere to be seen either. Fighting back tears of betrayal and disappointment, Adela got to her feet and brushed away the leaves and dirt from her dress. The moon pearls still glowed faintly in her hands, representing the glimmer of hope she still held in her heart. She had to find the theatre to return the pearls to the ocean before the moon rose, and dusk was beginning to fall. Her stomach began to turn as she realised she had no idea where she was.

But her little white horse would help her surely! And so he did, appearing from behind the tree in which they had climbed out of, his white skin glistening despite the darkening sky. The horse tossed his head and neighed, before trotting ahead of Adela and stopping to look back. A smile grew on Adela's face as she noticed what was happening. A small flower began glowing a pure white colour, and then another flower lit up as the horse passed it. Her horse was leaving a trail of flowers for her to follow. It was not any flower though, it was the Astrid flower that Rose had told her about. The spark of hope Adela held in her heart ignited, and with her head held high she followed the trail of flowers that lead to where it all would end.

* * *

><p>His head was so muddled that he couldn't make sense of what had just happened. Robin came to a halt abruptly at the edge of the forest, where the grass merged into rolling hills not too far from the village. Leaning against the tree he threw his hat to the ground and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to erase whatever had just happened from his mind. Even though his eyes were closed he could still see the shapes forming, the people reaching out at him, that one person in particular…<p>

Robin had never met his mother. She had died giving birth to him and was never spoken of again, though her memory lived on in the castle. There was an empty seat by the head of the table where no one sat, there was the unused library and the gardens, and lastly there was the large painting of the Coeur and Mrs De Noir outside the dining hall. She had high cheekbones much like Loveday, and bright eyes that looked as though they held a lot of love in them. Her hair tumbled down in curls as did Robin's, and they shared the same dark eyes.

And he had seen her. Her face had materialised within the other ghosts. She was saying his name, but all he could hear was screams. It was almost as if he had watched her die in front of him. It was his fault, and now it hit him full force. All those years of his father telling him he wasn't worthy, all those years without a mother. He couldn't take it. He screamed out, letting a few betraying tears escape, trying to find relief from his mind.

This is not what she would want.

The realisation hit him, and Robin stood up straight. However much of a De Noir she was, he knew inside of him that she would not want him to let everything be destroyed by the curse. Whether it meant going against his family, Robin had to help Adela. She needed him, and he had run.

Picking up his bowler hat, Robin worked out where he was. If he ran as fast as he had before, he could make it to the cliff theater in twenty minutes. Then he turned around, only to be shoved against a tree with a knife held against his neck.

"'Ight there, Robin? Been 'avin fun with your Moon Princess eh?" A scratchy voice greeted him, and Robin found himself glaring straight into the eyes of one of his father's best advisers. He struggled to get out of his grip but the sharp blade of the knife was cold on his skin, and he knew this man would waste no time in killing him.

The sound of hooves met his ears and his eyes darted up to see Coeur galloping down the hill on his black stallion, the anger evident in his face. "Traitor." Was the first thing he hissed as he climbed off of the horse and marched over to his son. "Does this family mean nothing to you?!" He shoved the adviser out of the way, this time threatening the boy with his own knife.

"Look at the moon, father!" Robin cried, wrenching himself out of his father's grip, his hand instinctively reaching for his belt. "Can't you see?! We're all going to die!"

"Liar!" Coeur roared, storming towards Robin again only to be held back by Robin's dagger, which was pointed at Coeur's chest. "You mean nothing to me, boy." Was the last thing he said before Wrolf came bounding through the trees, sending the other men scattering as they advanced to protect their leader. Inwardly thanking the demon dog, Robin raced off into the forest with Wrolf close behind him. It was only a couple of seconds later when he heard the gunshot and the whimper of pain that escaped the Wrolf as he collapsed.

* * *

><p>Adela climbed down the stone stairs into the circular clearing, stopping to catch her breath. It was quiet, almost too quiet. Her head raised to meet a pair of cold, unforgiving eyes. "I knew you would come here." Coeur said confidently, striding towards her. "This is where it all ends!" His dark hair hung in plaits and his black leather coat only made him look even bigger, even more intimidating. Adela however couldn't draw her eyes away from the ginormous looming moon that hung over the crashing sea, slowly coming nearer.<p>

"Get away from her, Coeur De Noir!"

The second voice startled Adela and she turned to see Benjamin hurtling down the stairs, his face a picture of fury.

"Ah, Merriweather." Was the sarcastically overjoyed response from Coeur, and he stopped where he was. "Your niece has failed as you can see." He gestured behind him to the moon, and chuckled when Benjamin's mouth dropped open. "Now give me the pearls!" Adela gasped and stumbled backwards, holding the pearls behind her back.

"It's those damned pearls that have caused us all this heartache and grief!" Benjamin announced.

"No, it's the greed in our hearts that brings us this misery!" Adela cut in, close to tears. How could she have ever thought she could stop the curse? Just by seeing the two rivaling families together Adela knew it would take a lot to stop this.

Loveday then came rushing down the stairs with Digweed and Marmaduke following close behind, and Adela found herself feeling slightly disappointed amongst the other emotions that were coursing through her veins. Where was Robin? "Father!" Loveday cried, "Why is there so much hatred in your heart? Don't you want to be free of this darkness imprisoning you?!"

"Oh my daughter." Coeur sighed, catching sight of the grown daughter he had once banished. He seemed to visibly break down, his eyes saddening. "It is he." He said quietly at first, and then yelled it again, turning to face Benjamin.

"Father!" Loveday scolded, grabbing his hand, and then Benjamin's. Adela could see what she was doing and joined their hands with the pearls.

"Look at the moon! You both know it, the curse is coming true! Please, just sacrifice your pride to save our families!" Adela almost begged, her eyes darting from the pained expression of Benjamin to the anger in Coeur's eyes. Here stood the man that his daughter fell in love with, the man who ruined their family.

"You first." Was Benjamin's response, as he held a steady gaze with Coeur.

"No, no, after you."

Taking a deep breath, Adela threw their hands down in frustration. "I must do this myself." She whispered, her eyes rising to meet the gentle glow of the moon, the moon which would kill them all. Swallowing hard she walked towards the cliff's edge and looked down to the crashing waves below.

"Adela!" Everyone in the theater turned to see Robin and Miss Heliotrope atop the stairs. Robin seemed to unfreeze and stumbled down the stairs, only to stop still when Loveday caught his arm and pulled him into a loving embrace. Adela turned back, holding the pearls up to the moon.

"At the 500th moon, I, Adela Merriweather the Moon Princess of Moonacre, do remove the curse that darkens this valley. Take back what is yours!" Adela cried out, and forcefully threw the string of pearls into the ocean, feeling a wave of relief as they fell. Suddenly they paused in mid-air, before swooping back up into her hands. Everyone was silent behind her as Adela tried to work out what to do. Then she pulled the necklace apart and scattered the pearls into the air. They flew only meters from her before doing the same thing again, but this time they attached to her deep red dress.

Now she felt sick, and she could hear Miss Heliotrope whimpering behind her. The ocean needed the pearls back and there was only one thing she could do. Adela turned around, her eyes stopping on each person who stood in the theater. Loveday seemed to work out what was happening and stifled a gasp with her hands.

Robin stared straight back at her, his eyes searching for some sort of answer. And then he found it, in the fear she was trying so hard to conceal. _"It's just falling that scares me." _Those words rang over and over in his head but before he could run forwards she had stepped over the edge and then she was gone.

Adela could just hear the yells from everyone as she dropped over the side, Miss Heliotrope's scream, Benjamin and Coeur yelling, Robin calling her name. She couldn't see how Robin was pulled back by Coeur as he tried to go after her, how Loveday fell into Benjamin's arms in grief, how Marmaduke and Digweed stood stock still and Miss Heliotrope almost crumpled in shock.

The darkness seemed to engulf her as she fell and her skirts billowed out around her until she hit the water with a splash, the coldness bringing her back to reality. Adela had never learnt to swim. The current carried her this way and that, though gently. She found herself sinking, little bubbles escaping her mouth as the oxygen in her lungs disappeared. The pearls on her dress fell and hit the sandy floor, letting off beams of light as they did so. It almost seemed peaceful, Adela thought as her eyes unwillingly began to close. It was over, she had done it.

**A/N: Please leave a review :) Thanks for the kind comments for the last few chapters. I'm getting quite into this story again so hopefully I shouldn't be too long with updating :S Hope you like it! **


	21. AN

A/N: Hi guys, (if any of you are still following this)

Well, this is not an update but I recently read through this story. I started it two or three years ago and looking back there is A LOT i need to improve on. For that reason I am going to start it again and re post it as a new story as I will be changing a few things.

Thanks :)


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